


Dawn of Winter

by Zed_Zalias



Series: Rythian: Demon Hunter [2]
Category: The Yogscast
Genre: Demons, F/M, Gen, Gods, Implied Relationships, Jaffa Factory, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sips Co., The Blackrock Chronicle: Rising, The Captive Creeper, Wiping Of One's Own Mind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-05-25 19:30:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 23,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6207589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zed_Zalias/pseuds/Zed_Zalias
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's just a normal day in Base Camp, until the Phantoms show up and destroy our new home. First, we lose our camp... And then we lose more... And soon, it isn't just our problem anymore. Soon, everyone's lives are in danger.</p><p>Set during the events of The Blackrock Chronicles: Rising. </p><p>As Zoey, Rythian, and Tee seek answers to explain the mysterious Phantoms that attacked their base, they become intertwined with something much larger-and much scarier. When Rythian begins to piece things together, he takes up a new role. He begins to do a job he was never directly asked to do and people get angry... Because that job kills people.</p><p>Sips's deal with Xephos was play-time.<br/>Reality is beginning to dawn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Our Camp

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MindfulWrath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MindfulWrath/gifts).



Zoey had never quite gotten used to the sensation of flying. Rythian had explained to her many times the magical reasoning of the ring, but she hadn’t really understood. She wasn’t a mage, anyways, she was just a girl. A girl who could talk to mushrooms, a girl who loved science, a girl who occasionally messed with basic magic or had Rythian do it for her if it was too advanced… She was just Rythian’s apprentice. She was just _Zoey_. She didn’t even think she _should_ be Rythian’s apprentice; she honestly wasn’t a mage, or even a mage in training. But… She loved Rythian, and she loved Tee, and she loved Nilesy, Baby Jim, Ghost, Ghost Junior, and Willow, all the golems, the band, she loved them all… She even loved Ravs and those two bickering idiots from the town of NewPool. Frankly, Zoey was the kind of girl who loved everyone. She even loved Lalna.

She coasted back towards the camp, landing softly in front of the magic tent. Rythian was waiting, smiling. He had been bent over a desk that he had moved outside the tent.

“Did you get the sugar cane?” He asked.

“Yes! I saw beautiful landscapes on the way there! I love exploring,” she replied.

“I know, Zoey… I know,” he said, a far-off look in his eyes.

“Umm, so, anyways… Ohmigosh, Rythian! I found a whole six sugar cane! We can start a farm!”

“Well… We could, if there was any damn water in this damn desert,” he said. “But… It’s home,” he added, smiling a little.

“Yes, it is. Here’s the sugar cane,” she said, tossing the stack to him. “By the way, have you seen Tee today? I was out early, but I never saw him. Wasn’t in his bed, either.”

“Oh, he’s… He’s in the newly constructed “Tee Tent.” Giving it a test run, sort of. Actually, he had to leave very early in the morning. It was dark out, in fact. Went to the village early to get the best deals. The black-market prices seem to be lower at times with low traffic, like early morning and late night. He got back while you were gone, and the first thing he did was go to bed. I can’t blame ‘im.”

“Okay, I was just wondering. Making sure nothing had gone wrong.”

Zoey moved to the also newly constructed Science Tent. She went to a table and made some hot chocolate. She very carefully opened the power tap on her mechanical arm and poured the hot liquid in, careful not to spill it on to anything else. It really did run on hot chocolate, although that was just an extra function she’d added. It could run on lots of other power sources, but she preferred the one that sent a brainwave of hot chocolate taste to her every time she used it. Frankly, she knew that Rythian knew it could be powered by other things, but he always got part of the cocoa beans they collected for his own hot chocolate, so he went along with it anyways.

She was a little tired, so she moved to the tent she shared with Rythian, shouting, “I’m going to take a small nap!” On her way into the tent. She settled into the covers of the bed and exhaled. Sure, the camp was shabby... But it was home.

 

\------

 

Zoey awoke with a start. It was nearly pitch-black inside the tent, how had she slept so long? She had been woken by a noise outside her tent. As she made her way outside, carefully, she saw that the sky was also completely black. There were no stars. There was no moon. Tee was running around frantically, shooting the hundreds of moving black clouds. Rythian darted out of his magic tent with a blade in his hand. It looked like the mage’s EnderBane, but it was… Different somehow.

“Bloody Phantoms,” he growled. “What even brought the damn bastards here? Zoey!” He shouted, spotting the confused redhead. “You’re awake! Something happened. Your forehead was glowing red as blood and you wouldn’t wake up… I was… I was so worried. And then, before I could really figure it out, this happened, The sky just went _black_ , and Phantoms started showing up. I don’t know where they’ve come from, or who’s controlling them. Hopefully my SoulScribe can kill them more efficiently. You stay safe. I’m going to go try. Get the Ring of Arcana, and we can use it if necessary.

“SoulScribe? What-Wait a minute… Th-That ring?” Zoey stuttered.

“Yes, Zoey, if it comes to that. Listen, no matter what, only use it if we absolutely _must_.”

“OK. Good luck, Rythian.”

He nodded a little and ran off to join Tee. She ran to the magic tent and unlocked the noisy chest which contained dangerous magical artifacts. She found the ring and slipped it into her pocket. She ran outside the tent to examine the so-called “Phantoms” a little.

There were _so many_. They were like black, wispy clouds, but as tall and as big as a person and no more. They seemed to give off black bubbles of sorts. They were moving around swiftly, levitating a few inches up from the ground. Zoey had no idea how they attacked, but she soon found out. As Rythian edged closer to one, an expression of deep pain filled his face. _Proximity to them must suck away your very life_ , thought Zoey. It was very eerie, as the Phantoms made no noise, except for a little whispering sound. The rest of the world around them was completely silent. Then, she saw something truly horrifying: One of the Phantoms moved towards Tee, and the dinosaur did not notice it in time. It wrapped itself around him and _squeezed _, physically and mentally, crushing Tee’s body, mind, and soul at the same time.__

__Tee did not talk, but he could scream. A loud roar of enormous pain, inside and out, punctured the silence for a few seconds. Zoey screamed in horror, but Rythian soon took care of the Phantom that had strangled Tee. Tee fell to the ground, breathing hard. Zoey knew he’d be fine, but he’s been hurt._ _

__The most astonishing thing was that there were _more_. Every second, more seemed to pop up from the ground. They started out as a single black dot, which became a few black wisps of smoke, which moved like a tornado as they got bigger and moved completely out of the ground. _If that’s even where they really come from_ , thought Zoey._ _

__Zoey noticed that torches gave off no light in this time, and that the only light that existed was the slight black glow of the Phantoms. She ran to Rythian and Tee, pulling out her sword as she went._ _

__“Glad you’re here, Zoey. There’s no reason to use the ring yet, we’re fine. With the two of you and this sword which can kill them easily, we’ll be fine.”_ _

__After about 20 seconds of Zoey flailing her sword around, unsure of what to do, all of the Phantoms backed away suddenly, and all noise and movement stopped. All of the Phantoms whispered together, and it was so quiet, but it was so loud, and Zoey shivered._ _

__“Whee… Hhaahhvve…. Chhhomme.” They said, their voices ringing in unison. When they spoke, they added h’s at every possible point, and elongated consonants. They were not really h’s, but rather odd h-sounding hisses. They paused between every word._ _

__“Who?” Demanded Rythian. “Who raised you?”_ _

__“Hhourrr… Mhhasstterr… Dhhhidd.... Nhhhott… Rhhaissse…. Uhhhssss. Hhhhee… Dhhoess... Nhhott... Yhhett... Knhhoww... Ohhf... Hhhhisss... Phhhhhowwhherrrr. Whee... Hhave... Chhome... Thoo… Bhheghhinn…. Hhhiss… Fhhuhthurrre… Chonqheussst.”_ _

__“Then who is your inadvertent master?” Rythian demanded again._ _

__“Hthheeee… Hhhoonnlyyy…. Hhhoonne… Whhhooo… Chhhhannn… Dhooo… Thhhhissssss.”_ _

__One Phantom stepped forward and raised two tendrils, which Zoey assumed to be like arms. Suddenly, a red orb appeared between the tendrils. The one Phantom took on a blood-red color, and slowly so did all the others. As this happened, the orb rose to levitate just above a person’s head, and it began spinning. It started slowly, but it picked up speed very quickly. Golden rays of light began emanating from it as it spun, unbelievably fast. All of the Phantoms were red now._ _

__“Zoey, prepare a bag of things according to the emergency list in our tent. Stay in the tent until Tee and I come to get you. Then, we’re leaving.” Said Rythian, his voice only a whisper. As much as Zoey doubted this, he sounded _scared_._ _

__“But… I can help,” replied Zoey._ _

__“I changed my mind! Zoey _and_ Tee, _go to the tent… Now!_ ” He yelled, his voice unbelievably loud and urgent, but still scared._ _

__“Why, Rythian? They just turned red. It’s probably not that bad. If it is super bad, then I’m even less likely to leave you out here by yourself.”_ _

__“Please, please, _please_... Don’t argue with me on this, Zoey. We don’t have much time before-”_ _

__He was cut off by a horribly loud and high-pitched screech which came from the orb. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the orb exploded._ _

__“No…” Rythian whispered._ _

__Up in the sky, the stars and the moon reappeared… But they were blood red. An amazing amount of monsters began to spawn _everywhere_ , and Zoey ran to the tent, grabbing Tee’s arm on the way._ _

__She gathered everything on the list as quickly as she could. She heard Rythian fighting desperately outside. Tee was at the tent entrance, shooting a few arrows through its ajar flap. As she put the last thing, the Condenser, into the bag, the Ring of Arcana fell out of her pocket and onto the floor. She was then reminded of its presence. She stared at it for a few seconds, in which time seemed to stop. All sounds were muted to Zoey. She heard Rythian scream in pain, and finally jumped back to reality. She was terrified; she had no idea how long she had been entranced. She realized the most important thing right now was just staying alive, so she grabbed the ring and put it back in her pocket. It’s weight pressed against her thigh in a comforting way._ _

__She grabbed Tee again and ran outside the tent. Rythian was relieved to see her._ _

__“I-I can’t… I can’t get…” Rythian stuttered. He was panting. “Go to the Jaffa Factory! I hope you know where it is! It’s right by Sips Co, which is right by the bar where Tee was held. Go there. I’ll catch up!”_ _

__“Rythian! I’m _not_ leaving you. You’ll… You’ll die.” Said Zoey._ _

__Rythian tried to talk, but one of the Phantoms touched him with a tendril and he screamed, falling to the ground. He was unconscious. Zoey screamed in horror. She quickly instructed Tee to turn on his flying ring and she did the same. They both lifted a few feet off the ground and then took hands, but did not weigh each other down, their magic energy being combined. She saw with relief that Rythian was wearing his flying ring. The two swooped towards Rythian, Tee fighting them off with his sword, and Zoey reaching down to Rythian to activate his flying ring. Her hands were sweaty and so were his and the ring kept slipping out of her grasp. Finally, she activated it successfully. She fiddled with it until Rythian levitated just a few inches off the ground and then took his limp hand._ _

__“Fly! Fly, Tee!” She shouted, knowing Rythian’s condition was critical. Every second counted._ _

__As the two flew at once, they overrode Rythian, who was magically connected to them, and he lifted as much as they did. They flew so swiftly that Zoey was worried that Rythian would vomit and choke. On the way there, Rythian stirred only once, saying “It... Is… Only… In that… Area… Once.. We… Are far away… The sun… Will rise.” He was then unconscious again, and he never moved for the rest of the long trip through the darkness. Eventually, the world did brighten again, but Zoey was still extremely worried about Rythian. Through the trip, even Tee’s eyes watered a bit. No matter what happened, the three-rather two, considering one was unconscious-knew that, somewhere along the way, everything would change, yet again._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, the first big one! This is the first multi-chapter story in this series, and I'm excited to begin. The title of this work has two meanings: The first may become apparent soon, but the last won't really be seen until the very end. Despite last chapter setting Xephos up as a mysterious character, that does not mean this was Xephos! So don't automatically assume that... Or you'll be disappointed if it isn't because you've been looking forward to it being Xephos. IT STILL MIGHT BE! I'm just saying it isn't necessarily... Honestly, though, there are actually quite a few big hints here, so you can probably figure it out. Anyways, I'm really excited to begin this. The story of Sips and Sjin _will_ be revisited, just not today. Anyways, please leave comments telling me what I can improve and/or what you liked (if anything, I'm not that great of a writer and this is only my second serious fic on Archive of Our Own so... :P) Thanks for reading!


	2. Our Story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not so happy with how the last chapter of this turned out. Part of that was my writing, part of it was formatting. I don't know what happened to the formatting, 'em' tags just weren't working 100% of the time. As for the writing, I might go back and rewrite it, I might not. Depends. You can read my full thoughts on that in the comment I made on that chapter. For now, though, we move forward.

They had seen the lights from a good few miles away, brightly shining against the faint light of sunrise. They touched down just in front of the giant sign depicting Honeydew’s face and entered the factory. There were five people sitting at a makeshift table inside, drinking coffee, no doubt preparing to begin work for the day. When the door opened, all five faces turned to the trio.

“It’s Rythian…” she said quietly, trailing off. Everyone froze for a few seconds.

“He’s… He’s _hurt_ ,” she whispered, pain in her voice.

Xephos was the first to speak. He was shouting orders, but Zoey did not hear much of it.

“Lalna, take Rythian to the lab level, there’s lots of open space, and I assume you have the most equipment there. Tee, Zoey, Sjin, and Honeydew, help Lalna get Rythian up there. Help Lalna if he needs it… And Sips, come with me. We’re getting the first-aid kit. It’s on the Penthouse Level because _somebody_ thought they were the only one who should have access to it.”

“Alright, calm down, I admit that it was a little bit selfish, but we’ve all got flying rings here, we can just go get it when-” Honeydew started to say, but he was cut off by Xephos.

“Just go! He could be-In, umm… A bad situation.” He would have said “dying,” but he didn’t want to make Zoey any more scared than she already was.

Sips and Xephos ran to the series of circular-holes in the ceilings/floors of the rooms called “The Tube” and rocketed upwards, their rings activating with their pleasantly indescribable noises.

“Now it’s our turn,” said Lalna. “We need to get Rythian up there. Zoey, if his ring’s still active, try to tweak it so he’s at least an inch off the ground. We’re all going to have to activate our rings. I presume that’s how got him here in the first place, so you should know what to do.”

All eyes turned to Zoey and Tee.

“Oh! Umm…” She stuttered, unsure of what to say. She bent down and tweaked the ring a bit, luckily bringing him to the perfect height after not too much time. “Ok, so… Everyone needs to activate their rings and then bring themselves up just about as much as Rythian. It doesn’t have to be exact, or even that close, just… Yeah,” she said, seeing the others perform the task successfully. “Now, we all need to be connected, and we all need to be connected to Rythian. Lalna and Honeydew, you’re probably the strongest-Honeydew, hold his feet, maybe, and Lalna his head.”

When Lalna first touched Rythian’s head, Rythian stirred and his expression hardened for a second, but he did not wake. He moved no further.

“Ok, so… Umm….” Zoey continued. “Actually, I guess you two will do. The three of us will get a table ready, or… Or whatever you need to take care of him, Lalna.”

“Great. Let’s move.”

They hoisted Rythian up and hovered over to the Tube. They flew up slowly, having to hold up Rythian’s weight, and Zoey, Sjin, and Tee followed behind. The two carrying Rythian stopped at what Zoey assumed must have been the lab level and hovered over to the center of the room, setting Rythian down on the floor.

“Xephos!” Shouted Lalna.

“What?” Came his reply, muffled and quiet.

“Bring down a bed! I don’t care, knock apart Honeydew’s if you need to!”

“Hey!” Shouted Honeydew. “Oh, alright…”

Sips and Xephos came down the Tube and began sprinting the second they hit the floor. In Sips’s hand was a box with a red cross on it, and in Xephos’s was the magically weightless Alchemical Bag. He set it down and undid the drawstrings, its magical energy making crackling noises as it prepared to release its contents. It caused a drift of energy to blow the drawstrings around a bit, as if a gust of wind had struck them. Even Xephos’s hair moved slightly when he opened the bag. As Xephos retrieved a bed from within the bag, its crackling got louder, and the “wind” became more intense. When the bed was fully out of the bag, Xephos had to deal with its full weight. He quickly moved it closer to Rythian and set it down, sputtering. As Sips handed the first-aid Kit to Lalna, Xephos closed the bag once again. It made one final noise, a vacuum like sound of sealing air, as it reset its magical charm.

Lalna and Honeydew placed Rythian onto the bed, and the former slowly peeled away the upper layers of Rythian’s clothes, searching for his wound. His entire body was a ghostly white. His wound was right between his shoulder and his chest. The skin was completely darkened to a black. In its center was a dot of red. There were similar black splotches around Rythian’s body, but none were as black, as big, or had the red dot.

“What…” Lalna said, trailing off. “What… What did this?” He asked, quietly.

“Umm...” Said Zoey. “Phan-Rythian said they were, umm… Phantoms.” She finished.

“Phantoms?” Lalna said. “Phantoms… Where would they have come from? But more importantly…. How did Phantoms do… _This_?”

“Well,” said Zoey. “They were… At some point, they had this red orb, and then they all turned red… And then the Moon and the stars were all red, too. I… I don’t know what that means, though…”

“Red…” Said Lalna, whispering. “I don’t know what that would be, either. I’m sure Rythian would, he knows all about the occult… But he isn’t able to tell us, is he… Hmm… Either way, we won’t need to do anything to the lesser wounds, they’ll be fine on their own with maybe just some disinfectant and some lotion of some kind… But this one with the red dot… And the mental effects of the Phantoms… I don’t know, Zoey; I just don’t know.”

He started digging through the first-aid Kit, and Xephos cleared his throat. The others turned towards him. 

“Well,” he started. “Zoey and Tee, we’ll set you up some beds here on the Lab Level, I’ve got them in the bag. We’ll put them right here so you can be near Rythian. After that, _please_ get some sleep. You’ve been flying here all night, I assume. Please, go to bed. You can stay here as long as you like. Even after Rythian’s recovered, your old base probably isn’t safe, the Phantoms might come back… Stay here, Zoey. _Please_ ,” he added.

“I don’t know, Xephos,” said Zoey. “Rythian, Tee, and I kind of had our thing going on, you know? We were on an adventure! With dragons and magic! Endermen and monsters! It was… It was our... _thing_. It was… It was _us_.”

“Oh, Zoey,” said Xephos, sighing. “I know, I get it. But it simply isn’t safe anymore… Just wait until we figure out what’s going on with the Phantoms. Until then, please just stay here…”

“O-Ok,” stuttered Zoey. “I can do that, but… I really, really hate to be a bother.”

“No, Zoey!” Exclaimed Xephos. “You won't be an inconvenience at all. In fact, you can kind of have the Lab Level to yourself, we rarely use it… The only thing is when we’re all here taking care of Rythian. Other than those times, you three will be alone… The only other person will be Lalna, and he’ll be taking care of Rythian, or just messing about with his science.”

“Oh, thank you; thank you so much! All of you!” Exclaimed Zoey. “And no, I won’t mind Lalna at all,” she said, a smile on her face.

“Great!” Said Honeydew. “We’ll set up your beds, then. You two just relax. Xeph’s right, get some sleep,” he said, a slight grin tugging at his lips.

~~~~

_The Phantoms are **everywhere**. Running, running, running, running…. Zoey. Tee. They’re here. I can’t save them. I’ve been hurt. I’m on the floor. I’m watching them be killed. I can’t save them. I’ve failed. I’ve failed. I’ve failed. I’ve **failed**. _

_It **hurts**. I am dying. I’ve **failed**. Blood. So, so much blood. The color of blood. Red as blood. It’s **all** red as blood. Everything... Red as blood. Everything... Blood. I can’t win. I’ve failed, I’ve failed, I’ve **failed**._

The nightmare was one of the most terrifying things Rythian had ever experienced. It was _so_ real. Rythian felt like he had actually watched Tee and Zoey _**die**_. Rythian assumed that waking up would provide solace and comfort… But it did not, for Rythian awoke to his worst human enemy right in his face.

~~~~

All the lights in the room had been turned off or blocked to allow Zoey and Tee to sleep, and Lalna had to work by flashlight. This annoyed him, but what annoyed him most about the situation was Rythian. Lalna had performed all the necessary first-aid, now all he had to do was wait and hope. He was merely trying to move Rythian into what might be a more comfortable position (it certainly wouldn't have been any less comfortable), but he just wasn’t cooperating. Earlier, when Lalna had been trying to perform the first-aid, Rythian had been even worse, making it near-impossible for Lalna to save his life… After all, that was all Lalna was trying to do, and he didn’t see why Rythian had to make it so difficult.

When Lalna tried to move Rythian for what seemed like the hundredth time, Rythian’s eyes shot open, and he grabbed Lalna’s chin and pulled his face in close. Before Lalna had time to utter anything except a slight, quiet gasp, Rythian put his other hand over Lalna’s mouth.

“I’m going to take my hand off of your mouth now,” said Rythian, his voice soaked in and dripping with venom. “And you are not going to alert anyone to this conversation, or that I’m even awake. I do not see Sips, Sjin, Xephos, or Honeydew here, and I see that Tee and Zoey are asleep. You will not change either of these two conditions. Do you understand?”

Lalna nodded, although his head barely moved; Rythian was gripping him unbelievably hard. Rythian removed his hands, swiftly, and his eyes became distant as if looking far away in space and time and his face reddened for just one instant, and then his face turned back to Lalna, pure hatred flashing in his violent purple eyes; violent purple storms that would never cease their quest for constant justice and would tear away anything to complete this quest.

“You are to let Tee, Zoey, and I leave,” said Rythian, slowly.

“I-I can’t Rythian!” Said Lalna. “You haven’t fully recovered yet!”

“I’m fine!” Retorted Rythian. He tried to sit up, but he winced and a horrible expression of pain appeared on his face as he laid back down.  
“I feel the main wound on my shoulder,” continued Rythian. “So why could I grab you before?”

“It was all the painkilling magic I did!” Said Lalna. “It wasn’t strong enough to work when the target is awake. It faded slowly enough, though, that you could move at first. Don’t get mad at me for it being weak like that, I’m only a novice when it comes to magic, you know that,” he continued, extremely nonchalant.

“You…” Breathed Rythian. “You… Did magic… On me…” He said, saying it more as a statement than a question of clarification.

“Well, Rythian, I was trying to _save_ you. You were dying. I’m not sure how, but those Phantoms did some real-”

“Shut up, I know well what they did to me. I _experienced_ it, remember?”

“Ugh, why do you have to be so difficult! Come on, Ryth!”

“Don’t… You… _dare_...” Rythian growled, shivering slightly. “Don’t you _dare_ call me that as if nothing-Don’t try to play that card, okay? It’ll only make me want to declare you guilty even more… Which I can do. I’m the judge, jury, and executioner for this trial, Lalna, so I suggest you stop pissing me off.”

“Alright, alright, just… Calm down, Rythian. I’m not going to kill you. I’m trying to _help_.”

“Help? _Help_? You lost your chance to help. You destroyed my home and nearly killed me during the First Tekkit War. You destroyed Zoey’s home, too. You destroyed everybody’s everything, and all of us were nearly dead. Frankly, I’m glad Sjin succeeded in overheating your reactor, or you two would have _never_ stopped. That’s the problem with people like you and Sjin, Lalna. You just _have_ to be _gods_ among everyone else. It’s just never enough, and then you keep trying to get even more, your thirst for power never, ever subsiding-And then it all stops... Because you’ve hurt people.”

Rythian didn’t stop. 

“You hurt so many people and destroyed so much that the only thing that would stop you was your own demise-All those around you that you love dying and suffering, and soon you dying too,” said Rythian, disgust and contempt filling his voice. “That’s all that would stop you.” 

“Rythian, I-Ugh! I give up! Look, we had a truce, didn’t we?” 

“When I made a truce with you, I didn’t imagine you being in control of whether I live or die." 

“But it doesn’t matter, Rythian!” Said Lalna, completely exasperated. “Our truce-all it said was that I’d stop trying to kill you, and you’d stop trying to kill me! That’s all it said! Right now, I’m not killing or even hurting you. I’m helping. I saved your life. I mean, I had help, but you know what I’m saying.” 

“Why… Why the _hell_ do you talk like that? Talk so nonchalant, like this doesn’t matter at all? Like we’re just two friends, having a conversation?” 

“Because it doesn’t! It’s just Rythian, mad at me again! It happens a lot, okay? You… You get used to it.” He had a faraway look in his eyes, but he soon snapped back to reality. 

“Whatever. What you say is true, I’ll give you that… But I’d rather chance dying with Tee and Zoey then living because _you_ took care of me… which I don’t even have full confidence you can do! I think there’s a good chance you might kill me!” 

“Maybe you were already dead, Rythian!” 

“Wh-What?” Stammered Rythian. 

“Yeah, that’s right. I didn’t tell Zoey this, but by the time I began first-aid, I-You were dead. Your magical energies had been reacting strangely for hours, based on my calculations… Based on my calculations... Your magical energies had been doing things as if you were dying for the whole trip to get here. When I started first-aid, you-It was only a few seconds before your pulse was barely even there.” 

“You…” 

“Yes, without my crappy, novice magic-Without me violating your personal bubble and doing magic on you-” 

“Don’t use improper language like that when describing the great arts of-” Interrupted Rythian. 

“Whatever, I don’t care.” Interrupted Lalna. “Anyways, if I hadn’t done all this… You would still be dead.” 

“You mean I would have died.” Said Rythian. 

“No, Rythian. You were already dead inside, I’m telling you. I’m not lying. You were dead inside by the time I finished healing your outside. I had about a one-minute window to save your soul, and I did. If I hadn’t, you would have stayed dead. See, Phantoms, they cause a lot of damage to the mental state and the soul-” 

“I _know_...” Spat Rythian. 

“Oh, right, of course you do… You know all about their kind… Not Phantoms, but the ones who summon ‘em…” 

“Shut up, Lalna. Don’t pretend you know about this kind of stuff more than I do. And stop accusing me, I’m not one of them, I’m-No, let’s get back to the important part. I don’t want you taking care of me. The end.” 

“Give me a second chance!” 

“I already did, and you fucked that up, too! You destroyed everything during the Final Battle of the Second Tekkit War!” 

“Fine-then a third chance. Please. I won’t kill you, because I honestly don’t hate you. You’re just such a dramatic person…” 

“Look.” Said Rythian. “You were unconscious for most of the time after the final battle of the First Tekkit War-I wasn’t. You don’t know everything that happened, I do.” 

“Look, I’m willing to forgive you, if you’ll just forgive me! That’s all I need to forgive you, is you to forgive me!” 

“Fine… Three strikes and you’re out, though. You can help me not die. You can be my doctor. But-” Here he stopped and grabbed Lalna’s chin once again, pulling him in so he was centimeters from his face. “You lay _one finger_ of harm on me, Tee, Zoey, Ravs - Anybody, really, without a damn good reason-And I’ll be the judge of whether it's a damn good reason or not, so it better be a _damn_ good reason… And I _will_ kill you. Understood?” 

“Yes, Rythian. I promise, I will do my best. I’ll even take the Hypocrite's Oath.” 

“Don’t bother… Wait ‘till I get up… After all that, I need my rest. If I stay awake thinking about this whole fucked-up situation without any possible solution for just one more moment, I’m going to die of mental exhaustion. What a way to die, mental exhaustion from trying to solve an unsolvable problem. Please, don’t wake me again… I won’t be but a few mi-hour-Just get-hem-huhh.” Rythian finished, sinking back into a slumber. 

Lalna sighed a deep sigh and went back to work on Rythian. 

The last thought before Rythian drifted off to sleep was, _He owes me, anyways… I saved his life when he was already dead, too._

Lalna decided Rythian could stay without him for a while. He enlisted the ever-vigilant green and mute dinosaur who he had just woken to watch over Rythian for him, and then he went to his own bed for a much-needed rest. His last thought before drifting asleep was, _Rythian said this all perfectly… A fucked-up problem without a possible solution in the world… Hell may as well take us all now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Yes, this chapter was pretty heavy on dialogue, but this had to happen... Because honestly, Lalna and Rythian are a huge thing in this, and I had to start that flame burning early on. No, there's no Rythna, BUT-Their interactions are still hugely important to this story. Just because there is no shipping of the characters doesn't automatically mean you should disregard the characters' relationship completely... Although I suppose that's how a fanfic community works, isn't it? Smut or bust :P I mean, these interactions really aren't important, and then, all at once, you realize they were they entire time. So, yeah, just justifying the amount of dialogue between Rythian and Lalna - and the lack of anything else :P  
> The next topic - My upload schedule: I do not release completely to a schedule, HOWEVER I will release a chapter of this close to once a week. I was a few days late this time, but I wasn't too far off.  
> Next thing-the chapter names. The chapters will all be named in the same way. The reason why and what it means will become clear at the end of this work. It's already there, but... You might not see it 'till we're done here.  
> And, to close things out, I would like to tell you all to have a nice day. I'll stop leaving these long notes in future, but every once in a while, I just need to rant.  
> 


	3. Our Ignorance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm going to try writing this in Rich Text Format rather than HTML. If it works out, I'll probably stick with that. It might be better, it might be worse, it might be neither better nor worse-but we'll at least give it a try.
> 
>  
> 
> _Our ignorance to his past will be our undoing..._

"Sanguimancy... Blood Magic..." Growled Rythian. "It  _had_ to have been Sanguimancy... There's no other way. They can all summon Phantoms if they're powerful enough, but that Phantom had a blood orb. I recognized it. It was all  _Sanguimancy._ " Rythian spat the syllables of the word separately as if he couldn't handle the thought of it all at once.

"Who's they?" Asked Zoey, who was slightly frightened by his growling.

"Oh-It doesn't matter. It would take too long to explain. The main point is-Someone's been doing Blood Magic... And that worries me, because I have  _no idea_ who it is... But I'll figure it out, and I will  _kill_  them and I will get revenge on behalf of everyone-You, Tee, I, Ravs, the pets, all-all of them." He said, an expression hard as steel plastered over his face.

"Rythian.." Stuttered Zoey. "You're... You're kinda sc-"

"Not now, Zoey, I must plan! I must figure out who this was." Interrupted Rythian.

He walked swiftly to an Alchemical Bag perched on one of the tables that had been set up for Tee, Zoey, and Rythian. He opened it and began digging around inside of it.

"Rythian, it's only been a few days since you were first put into bed, are you sure you're in the proper condition to be taking revenge?"

"I'll be... I'll be fine. I'm going to go talk to Lalna."

"Rythian, please don't do anything drastic!"

"I won't." He replied.

He activated his flying ring and sped down the Tube. When he found Lalna, working on something on the Sorting Level, he shoved him against the wall and pinned himself to him, blocking him from escape.

"Why." He began.

"Did you disrobe me and let them all see my skin? You know the glamour drops when I'm injured..." He continued.

"I-" Began Lalna. "I figured, you know... I don't care, Honeydew certainly wouldn't care, Xephos might be curious but he wouldn't press you with questions if you didn't want him too... And then there's Tee and Zoey. Tee's probably seen it before, and I'm  _sure_ Zoey's seen it." He said with a wink.

"Shut up! You don't... Don't act like you even understand love... Again, what-the fuck-is up-with your tone? We're fighting right now!"

"I'm not fighting you, Rythian, you're fighting me. I'm not mad at you, but you're sure as hell mad at me."

"I-Ugh! Did you pull the mask off?"

"Well, I  don't see why-"

"Did. You. Pull. The. Mask. Off." Interrupted Rythian, his voice like a knife cutting into Lalna.

"Well-Yes. I don't see what the problem is-"

"So you're telling me that they all saw my mouth when my glamour was off?" Rythian interrupted once again.

"Yes. I mean, we all know you're an Enderborn, but we don't care, Rythian. We won't kill you just because you're a Demon."

"Stop!" Shouted Rythian. "I'm not-one-of them! I'm... I can't help my bloodline, but I'm no Demon. I'm no Enderman."

"Aha!" Said Lalna. "See? You said it yourself. You're not a monster, no matter what your blood says, and none of us think that you are, so just, like... Calm down, okay?"

"Look, I have a lot of things and people to worry about... So I'll stop worrying when Hell freezes over."

"Alright, point is... We don't care. If you don't act like a Demon, then you aren't one."

"Hmph." Rythian grumbled. He turned swiftly and walked off the edge of the Sorting Level, landing on the ground with nothing but a slight noise coming from his flying ring. He stomped out the door and flew into the air. He had made so many, he'd have to check them all.

* * *

Rythian felt that he was very, very lucky. It was only the second site he'd checked, and he was sure this one had been disturbed by  _somebody._ The small, brick tower had obviously been broken into, although by who, Rythian could not say. He touched down in front of the crooked entryway, which leaned with the weight of time. He walked into the tower and found that, indeed, someone had been there. The evidence only continued to collect as he went down into the basement. It was a strange feeling. At the time, he _wanted_ people to find his sites-It was why he built them. But now... It felt strange, knowing he had turned someone into a Sanguimancer.

He had been... _Di_ _fferent..._ At the time. It was before he found the Village, before he met-him, her, all-all of them... But it was after  _them._ Oh, how  _perfectly_ he had fit in with them. Just another Demon. He had left the End to get away from his blood, his unchangeable fate, his destiny to be a Demon... And he had waltzed right into their base. He, at first, didn't realize he was doing just what Demons do; killing smaller Demons and absorbing their power, hoping eventually to conquer the world and become a  _god._ Once he realized, he didn't even stop it. It felt  _so_ natural. It felt... Right.  _But it_ wasn't  _right,_ Rythian reminded himself. Because things had turned fucked-up very quickly. As each of them gained power, it became clear why a group of Demons didn't work. They eventually turned on each other, all grasping at the same throne. It was supposed to be without a leader... But it soon became very clear that three of them, one of them being Rythian, were more powerful than the rest. Members of the Guild began disappearing, and it was clear that these three were killing and Reaping the others. They had become a triumvirate, but, like all triumvirates, they soon destroyed each other. A low member rose much-too-rapidly and rallied all the other low-ranking members. He played everyone's sides in secret, and he used this to gain control. He only played Rythian's side for a few moments, and... _His_... for only a few moments longer... But it was the third he played the most. He had slightly destroyed Rythian and the other, but it was him he _really_ destroyed. He played his side for so, so long... That when he betrayed him and took him out of the picture, placing him under a curse and turning even his wife against him, the two became the bitterest of enemies. Before he was betrayed, though... Him and the army worked together to destroy the other one, leaving only him and Rythian. He left and Rythian never knew where he went... All he knew was that he was always there, affecting things, and that he had taken a shine to science in recent years...

Then the traitor finished  _him_ and cursed him, and it was only Rythian left. They soon turned their efforts towards him. He would kill Rythian and become the leader, sitting on a throne of lies. He would be even more dictatorial and chaotic than the three before him... But the members did not realize this, and they rushed to destroy Rythian and put _him_ in power. He was smarter, he saw it coming. He willed the Guild to him, praising his Demonic behavior, and left... For he had had his eyes opened. He watched three friends... He had  _experienced..._ Three friends betray and kill each other and their apprentices. He finally realized the monster he had become, and he shut himself away, and never did Endermagic, his native Demon-Magic, ever again. One of the members followed the first one to go, and he left with him, also taking a shine to science. There had also been one like him, but for the second one to go. He tried to follow him, but it was long before they reconnected, Rythian had heard. Later, he left him, and then... Came to Rythian. He had had time to get his footing as a Sanguimancer, and he taught him everything he knew. He left, too. Rythian didn't remember why. All he remembered was, in his despair and grief, he became a Sanguimancer, and became like a Demon once again, without even noticing. He then used magic to block these memories. Only some of them would leave, which is why he was left with an incomplete record. Then, he found the Village, and he began anew.

* * *

Rythian certainly hadn't expected it. He had forgotten his own trap, and walked straight into it. When he regained conciseness, Zoey was the first thing he saw. She was leaning over him, concern in her face.

"Rythian!" she exclaimed. 

"I-Why are you here?" asked Rythian.

"We're all here," she explained. "We-Lalna said there was some strange magical beacon emanating from this place... He said something was coming to kill you, and it wanted every decent mage to know. We came to help, but there's nothing here... But you're unconscious. Well, not anymore, but-"

"No," said Rythian.

"Wh-What?"

"You shouldn't have come here. This-This is dangerous. Whoever's been doing Blood Magic, he sent them, he doesn't want me to find him. You all need to  _leave_!" he said. He flew through the corridors, passing familiar faces as he went. Even Sips, Sjin, Nilesy, and Lomadia had shown up. He got to the staircase and raced up it. He activated his flying ring and flew out of the hatch, bursting into the night sky. He perched on one of the battlement's parapets.

"No, no- _shit,_ " he hissed through gritted teeth. He could see the Moon turning red already, and he saw the red cloud approaching. It was coming alarmingly fast, and Rythian needed to warn the others. He raced back down and, as he went, he shouted for everyone to come to the door of the tower. They gathered around Rythian and waited for each other, until they were all there.

"Rythian," asked Zoey, her voice saturated with concern. "Wh-What's going on?'

"Lalna was right... This place is-I came here because-Well, I thought it might hold clues to who's been doing Blood Magic. I... It didn't. I fell into a magical incantation trap of sorts, and that's why I was unconscious. The point is, Lalna was right... Whoever's been doing Blood Magic is doing it enough that he or she is becoming a Demon, a non-natural-born Demon. All Demons focus on one area of magic, as I'm sure many of you know, and once they're so much as decent in this art, they gain their first set of Demon... Like...  _Perks_ , sort of. Then there's the next tier, and the next, and so on... One of the first abilities a Demon receives is the ability to summon Phantoms... The things that attacked out base, Zoey. They are-The Sanguimancer-He's sending Phantoms  _now._ They're approaching alarmingly fast, and we  _need_ to defend," he said.

Everyone looked at him, utterly dumbfounded. Lalna was he first to step closer to the center of the circle, which had, before, contained only Rythian.

"He's right, I feel it now that he mentions it," he said. "Being around them sucks away the- _you._ Do  _not_ let them touch you. Please, we must fight them. They'll be using Blood Magic and just the touch of their tentacles to try and kill us."

"Yes, he's right," said Rythian. "I have a special blade-It's an upgraded version of my Atheme, Enderbane. It not only kills Endermen, it hurts all things that are alive and dead. Phantoms are neither alive nor dead, which is precisely why they are both. The blade will cut through them like butter... But I only have the one. Everyone, please be careful. Phantoms... They have two forms. They have a form which is a black human, or in this case red as blood, and then they can Ghost or Evaporate, both terms are used-This is when they become the form we've seen them in, Tee and Zoey... The smoke-like form. They can fly around rapidly, and then they can Poof, or, to put it more scientifically, Solidify.-This puts them back to normal. They're very aptly named, you'll see... They have all sorts of deadly special abilities, such as teleportation and invisibility... Most are activated by something called Shimmering. Their shape phases in and out of existence, moving around a little spastically, and they shimmer... This activates an ability. Anyways, I've prepared you as much as we have time for, we must-"

"Rythian?" Zoey whispered, interrupting him. "Why is your name carved onto the door of this horrible, horrible place?"

"I-" stuttered Rythian. He was totally unprepared for this. "Well.." he said, tugging at his mask. "I... It's a long story, I promise I'll tell you later. There just isn't time right now. We must repel this Phantom menace, before it destroys us. Come, let's go outside."

They all filed out of the door, their armor on, magical charms on those who knew how to cast them. Their weapons, whether metal or magical, were at the ready. As they headed outside, they saw the crowd of Phantoms racing through the red sky, which was lit by the bloody moon and stars.

They all touched down and the group did, indeed, understand why it was called Poofing-They hit the ground, and a cloud of red smoke "poofed" out from them like mist. As it cleared, it was easy to see why it was also called Solidifying-The mist then collected together and became dense, creating a solid red human-like figure.

"Who is your master?" demanded Rythian.

All the Phantoms laughed in unison. It was a horrible sound that made everyone else shiver. One stepped forward, and he was holding a Blood Orb. He Shimmered, and Rythian's face adopted an expression of great pain and suffering.

"Oohh, hiih hsssheeeh hhiinssideh hyouhhr mhhinnd. Hyouhh hhareh correhctt hhiinn hyouhr ghhuessss hahsss thoo hwhyy hwhee chamme hhherreeh. Buuht hourh mhaster dhid nhot hordher huss thoo chomme hhherrre. Hhhe hstill doesn'ttt hknowh hhe isss hay Dhemon. Whee jhust dhon't whantt yhou thoo hknow heither."

"So you've come to kill me before I can find out who he is, is that right?" asked Rythian.

The Phantoms all laughed again, and said, in unison, "Hhhoofff Chourssse."

There was a moment of silence in which Rythian could only say, "Get ready," and then perhaps a dozen red clouds jumped up from the ground, flying through the air. They were Poofing everywhere, and Rythian smelled Blood Magic in the air. He pulled his SoulScribe from his belt and rushed towards a Phantom which was in the process of Shimmering. It was attempting to activate telekineses, and it had already lifted a loose stone from the battlements of the tower, and it was about to drop it straight onto Tee's head as he began to overpower another Phantom with the emerald sword, SuperJim. Rythian grabbed the back of the Phantom before he noticed him and plunged the blade in deep. The Phantom let out a scream that was as bad as all of them laughing. His skin became divided into small hexagons, some of which fell off and disintegrated into the air. The remainder shrank, leaving gaps between them. They shrank and shrank, and once they were so small that they could barely even be seen, the Phantom exploded into red liquid which almost instantly evaporated, before it could touch anything but the brisk night air. The stone fell a few feet in front of Tee, and he looked over at Rythian. He nodded, smiling a little, and Tee returned the gesture, having just killed the Phantom he had been fighting. It died in the same way.

Rythian felt a deep mental strain and looked around. The supposed leader of the Phantoms was holding the Blood Orb tauntingly and staring into Rythian. Rythian rushed over to him, ready to strike.

"Destroy the Orb, and end it all..." he said, temptingly, as Rythian ran towards him. It seemed to be very hard for the Phantom to speak normally, but he had done so anyways.

He was strangling Rythian's mind still. He reached him and slashed across his shoulder. He howled and attempted to punch Rythian, but he dodged just in time. The Phantom's concentration broke, Rythian's mind was free of strain. He slashed at his stomach, which made the Phantom howl once again. Rythian dodged another punch and quickly struck the Phantom's stomach, burying the blade deep and bringing it back out again swiftly.

"I suppose I underestimated you... I just wasn't ready..." said the Phantom. Rythian grabbed him and turned him around, getting ready to strike him in a Phantoms weakest spot, the small, circular disc protruding form their back. Just before he could, however, he heard Zoey utter a cry of, "Rythian," which made him kick the Phantom to the ground and run to Zoey's aid. He had almost killed the leader, he had almost been able to smash the Orb and make the Phantoms so much weaker, but he had to drop it all for Zoey.

She was being pulled on by two Phantoms, and they were  _touching_ her. She was screaming with pain as their tendrils, almost like tentacles, twisted around her body, entering areas which they had  _no right_ to enter. Rythian yelled with anger and ran forwards, stabbing the one that was exploring her upper-body in the back, causing it to explode. The other had just made a movement with its tendril down Zoey's pants, and she first squealed, but this quickly became a cry of pain and suffering. He looked at his fallen comrade and then at Rythian, all the while making twisting motions with the tendril which caused Zoey to scream and shout. He then tore off of her and jumped at Rythian, landing him on the ground and hissing in his face.  _Shit,_ thought Rythian. He had dropped the SoulScribe. Tendrils closed around his mouth, muffling his scream, and then his throat and his nose, chocking him. Tendrils began to move across his body, slimily exploring inside his own pants. He heard a yell as Zoey, who had picked up the dagger, plunged it into the back of the Phantom. The Phantom screamed a horrible scream and died like all of its brothers. He got up and put his hands on Zoey's shoulders. "Thank you," he mouthed, and she repeated it to him.

Rythian looked around him to see that Phantoms who saw Rythian almost defeat their strongest were Ghosting and retreating swiftly. The leader got up to watch as two more Phantoms were killed by the others, and he began to Ghost.

"No!" shouted Rythian. He ran to him, but was too late. The Phantom flashed a wicked grin and then Ghosted, disappearing into the night sky.

Zoey came forward and put a hand on his shoulder. He sighed a deep sigh and turned to the others.

"I've kept my past mostly secret... But that can no longer be. It's time I tell you... You all must know. Let me tell you a story..."

* * *

Rythian held Zoey's mouth in his own for a few more moments, and then pulled away, his hand resting on her bare stomach.

"I'm so, so sorry I never told you, Zoey," he whispered, his mouth ghosting on her ear. His voice was lethargic, slow, and tired.

"No, I get it," she said. "You'd-You'd rather forget. And you did. Well, some of it, anyways..." she replied, her voice also small and exhausted.

"Thank you so much for understanding, Zoey..." he said, holding her tight. "I-I really am sorry, Zoey... I-"

Zoey shushed him. "Don't worry about it," she whispered. "We'll deal with it all in the morning... For now, just... Please stay with me."

Rythian blushed deeply and sighed. "Alright," he said. "We'll deal with it in the morning... Goodnight Zoey." he said, yawning.

"Goodnight, Rythian," she said, having yawned as well.

"Z-Zoey?" said Rythian.

"Yes, Rythian?" she replied.

"I-You know that... I'd be lost without you, Zoey... You know that I love you, right?"

She smiled at him and whispered, "I love you too, Rythian."

And so, the two fell asleep in each other's embrace, but Rythian's sleep was troubled... For he sensed that something horrible was about to happen.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well Rich Text definitely worked better... :P Anyways, I'll stop leaving long Notes, they just but into the story. So, I guess y'all know who's been sending Phantoms now, don'tcha? Also, did anyone catch my Star Wars reference :P
> 
> The only hint I can give people is that the Demon Guild will become important later in this series. Let's just say, they aren't original characters... They're _definitely_ people you know... And they're _definitely_ still out there.
> 
> OH, AND BY THE WAY.... SOMETHING TO BE THINKING ABOUT: Why are the Phantoms sex-crazed? No, not just because this is a fanfic. There's an actual reason. So think about that!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Please leave what I did well and/or what I can do better in the comments!
> 
> ~Hey you, with the face, have a great day!~


	4. Our Summer - Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, y'all. I poured a lot of effort into this chapter, and I'm working on how I'm going to pace the next few. I'm going to stop leaving such long notes, but I would like to say, I'm pleased with how this one turned out. I'm getting closer to my standard, but I've still got a long way to go until I'm good enough for my own approval.
> 
>  
> 
> _Of **course** Summer and Winter are capitalized... Seasons aren't capitalized, are they? But these aren't seasons... They're gods, and we best respect them, our we may get put on their bad-list._

 

When Rythian awoke, the first thing he noticed was the noise. His mind wasn’t awake enough to process what any of the noise was, or where it came from, or what any of it meant - But he most certainly heard it. _There is noise_ , Rythian’s mind told him. _It could be a safety hazard. You should wake up._ Frankly, Rythian didn’t quite feel like waking up. They’d been out at the tower until late at night. By the time Rythian and Zoey actually got to bed… Well, it had been almost morning. They weren’t even up much longer than the others. Rythian was sure everyone had to have been tired… So why were they all awake before the sun was even a quarter through the sky?

The second thing Rythian noticed was the absence of warmth. He was a little cold, Zoey had obviously gotten up - Meaning she was, in part, causing the noise. _That girl, she’s more trouble than she’s worth_ , thought Rythian, smiling.

The third and final thing that Rythian noticed was the smell. This is what caused Rythian to get up. He could smell-He could _taste_ -Bacon and ham in the air, and he was sure some eggs to go with them. He thought he even smelled Jaffa Cakes.

Rythian stepped into the tube and let himself fall down it, knowing he wouldn’t feel a thing, so long as he had his flying ring. He waltzed over to where his nose told him the food was. He noticed Honeydew walking beside him.

“Hi,” Honeydew said, rather cheerily.

“Hey,” replied Rythian. “Umm…. Do you guys have such a wonderful breakfast every day?”

“Oh, it’s all Jaffa Cake ingredients… And pork. I mean, the pork is an extra thing. Not used in Jaffa Cakes. Not unless you order the pork flavor… Anyways, the eggs, the milk, it’s all Jaffa Cake stuff. We just pull some out of the assembly line for breakfast every week or so. And then it’s pork again for lunch and dinner! Everyday! Well, for me, anyways… Xephos and Lalna like to shake things up a bit… Bloody pork heretics… That’s why the said if I want pork more than twice in a row, I’ve gotta eat that instead of whatever lovely thing Lalna’s got cooking. Anyways… Huh. Where is everybody?”

Rythian had thought everything was okay. He had awoken to noise, so his friends were still alive and close by. Even Sips and Sjin were staying with them for the time-being, and they seemed to be getting a lot done on the factory, making new Jaffa flavors and products, and all that. He most definitely heard Sips - He had shouted _something_ , Rythian was sure, but he had no idea what. The second thing he had noticed was that Zoey was gone… But that was OK, it made sense, she was always a morning person. The third thing was the smell… So, his friends _should_ have been right there, right next to the table and the furnaces. They had to make the breakfast, shout a little, and… Honeydew was still there, being himself and rambling on about useless stuff. But… Everything seemed right, but it wasn’t. Again, they had to have been there to make the breakfast, shout a little, and…

Rythian remembered that had heard a door open and close loudly, several times.

“I think they’ve gone outside,” said Rythian. He squinted through the hole in the door, but found that, outside, it was quite dark. “That’s odd,” he mused. He got closer to the door, and felt a strange chill emanating from it. He put his hand over one of the holes, and he felt _cold._ He drew his hand back and pressed it to his body, shivering slightly.

“Cold? And dark this late in the morning? It’s the bloody middle of summer!” exclaimed Honeydew.

“Yeah, I…” started Rythian. “Yeah, that’s… Strange.” he finished.

Both stood in silence for a few moments, waiting for someone to enter. Honeydew stepped towards the door and opened it just a crack. He started shivering but he peered through anyways, sticking no more than his nose out the door. He quickly retreated back to the warmth of the factory and shut the door.

“They’re out there, all right… Standing around something. Or someone, perhaps…” he trailed off.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds before, suddenly, the door burst open. Rythian looked out into the dark expanse of the early morning - It was darker than it was the night before, and it was nearly midnight then!

The first thing Rythian noticed was the noise. The people who had opened the door were now running rapidly into the room and they were carrying… _A body?_ thought Rythian. They were yelling orders and rushing about. The noise almost made Rythian’s head hurt.

The second thing Rythian noticed was the cold. It was _cold._ A strange chill, almost like a ghost, seemed to creep through the door and twist around Rythian, squeezing the life out of him and infiltrating his very soul. It was accompanied by the horrible winds. While the cold itself crept in slowly like a spirit, the wind was like a beast. It rushed inside with the fierce might of a dragon, helping the cold seep further into Rythian’s bones. As Honeydew had said, it was the middle of summer… Not the time for this. In fact, it had been the middle of summer for a long time…

The third thing Rythian noticed was the smell… It smelled like a thousand plants, all dying. An entire forest, all freezing over… And it smelled like leaves burning only… Not… Rythian wasn’t sure how to describe it, but all he knew is that plants were dying and, somehow, he could smell the _cold…_

Rythian and Honeydew found themselves in the center of a whirlwind of motion they didn’t even try to comprehend. Before they knew it, they were seated at the table, and so was the body. It was’t unconscious or dead, Rythian noticed. It was shivering extremely violently. A plate of food was set down in front of it and the hot food was shoveled into its mouth. It struggled to hold still enough to chew and swallow, but the heat of the food seemed to help. It was a human male, he now realized. He looked like a teenage boy.

He was, Rythian noticed, _blue._ There were patches of blue, almost an ice color, scattered all over his clothes and his skin. It also turned his hair to a blue-white color. His shirt had a strange swirl on it.

“I assume,” said Xephos. “That you two-“ here he gestured at Rythian and Honeydew - “Are in need of some explanation.”

“Well, it certainly wouldn’t hurt, would it?” asked Honeydew, giving Xephos a look that seemed to say “Why haven’t you already told us?”

“I’ll just let _him_ explain,” replied Xephos, gesturing towards one of the people sitting at the table.

Rythian didn’t actually know who _he_ was. He wore a distressed and worried expression on his otherwise youthful and carefree face. He looked about the same age as the freezing-boy. His face radiated a glow of concern. He had dark brown hair, which hung across his forehead with medium bangs, many of which were matted down and stuck to his forehead after what was probably a rough night.. In the back and the sides, his hair was long and hung low, curling slightly at the bottom. His eyes were a dark brown that matched his hair. They were full of fear.

“I’m, well… Umm…” he began. “My… My name is Toby. Some… Some of you may not know me or my friend, Martyn, because…” his voice quavered and stuttered, and his face was pale and waxen, like a melting candle that had simply been lit by a fire far too hot. He swallowed and his throat bobbed, a few tears appearing in his eyes. He turned and blinked them away and then cleared his throat before turning back to the party.

“Sorr-Sorry… Let me…” he stuttered, his voice barely more stable than the last time he spoke. “Let me start again. My name is Toby, and this-this is my friend, Martyn. We were… In our own… _World_ , of sorts, I guess… Just like this one, but… _Not. Different._ Our goal was simple: Find a bunch of Lapis Lazuli and make some sweet decorations with it… Or something like that. Anyways… Somehow, someday…. Well, we were in our base to-together, and then… This, like… _Portal_ appeared outside of our base. We… We’re very adventurous people, so we just… Sorta… I don’t know, _jumped in_. And then… We were here. But there was something _before. After._ ** _In-Between._** I honestly don’t know what it was… I can’t remember, but… Martyn has some sort of connection and love of trees, plants… And… All things green and natural, I suppose. When we got into this world, it was at first just a moderate summer, like people we’ve met here say it has been forever… And then, suddenly, it got… Not really warmer, but… The summer was more _alive._ The trees weren’t just “not dead,” they were _alive. They were living._ It was just like our old world! It followed us here! And Martyn could… He could _talk to them._ The forest, the trees, the bushes, the _grass_ … Everything. He brought it to life, coaxed it to want to live, he… He caused that summer to come to life. But then… Things changed. He got… _Cold._ The snow fell one night, but only in our one little area where we built our base. It coaxed something to life inside Martyn… He wasn’t the “King of the Forest” anymore, as he always called himself… He was the King of Winter, now. He started _freezing._ I surrounded him with blanket after blanket, I… Well, I…” he stuttered uncomfortably and cleared his throat. “I… I did what I could. I kept him warm… Well, it should have kept him warm, but… He got _colder._ Colder, and colder, and colder… And then he got cold inside. He started becoming distant. His mind was being consumed by something. He started forgetting things, and then he forgot me, and then he got paranoid and tried to… To, umm, kill me, I guess.” He stopped here and sniffled, clearing his throat uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, I’ve omitted some details.” he said. “This had happened before, but it only ever lasted for a few hours at the most, and it never went that… Far. The point is, I came here. I saw the lights from so, so far away, and I brought him here in the night. As I told them outside, he isn’t getting better, he’s just getting colder. A _lot_ colder.” he finished and began looking at his feet.

“Well…” said Xephos. “That was all news to us as well… All he had time to tell us was that his friend was freezing and that his name was Toby.”

Toby nodded, confirming this, and then he looked over at Xephos and then at Rythian, pleading.

“Don’t worry!” said Xephos. “He’ll-He’ll be just fine, don’t you worry. Look at him. He’s getting warmer already. He’s smiling at you, he’s alert, his skin isn’t as blue anymore, he’s much better. He just needed some hot food."

Rythian didn’t revel in breaking people’s hearts, not since the Demon Guild anyways, but he had to tell Toby. He walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“No, he isn’t fine, I’m afraid… The god of Summer chose him as a mortal host. That’s why he brings Summer to life in the world he inhabits, that’s why he can talk to trees… But it’s okay, Summer is kind. He has been documented to let his hosts have free will. He doesn’t control them at all, just gives them powers. So, by textbook definitions, Martyn is his consort, we would call him a ‘Demon Consort’ or a ‘Demonic Servant…’ In this case, since Martyn is a good person and Summer is a kind and just god, we would probably swap out ‘Demon’ and ‘Demonic’ for ‘Angel’ and ‘Angelic.’Anyways… I don’t know why the portal opened, but -“ Rythian was interrupted by Xephos, who explained that it may have had something to do with YogLabs experimenting with the very fibers of dimensions, but it was quick and mumbled, and Rythian did nothing but sigh a sigh of _That figures, of course it was fucking YogLabs_ and then continue where he left off. “Anyways, no matter why it opened, when you went through it, it took you through some other world on the way there… Like a bus that makes a stop before it’s final destination. The god Winter, she… She isn’t like Summer. She controls her hosts. She uses them as tools to spread her influence through new worlds. I mean, so does Summer, but… He doesn’t make you. He just selects someone with a pure and warm heart who has a connection to nature, because he knows they will be glad to spread nature. He gives you the powers, but doesn’t force you to use them. He just knows you will because you love nature. He was the King of the Forest before Summer even really began inhabiting him.”

Toby stopped him and said, “So… Summer hasn’t influenced him at all? All he’s done is given him the ability to talk to plants and make them bloom into life? He hasn’t _made_ him do anything?”

“Yes, that’s what I’m saying.” said Rythian. “But… As I said, Winter was supposedly sealed away in her own dimension… I don’t know how long ago it was, it could have been hundreds of years. She was probably sealed there by someone who wanted it to be Summer forever, or something like that. Anyways, you passed through that dimension, and everyone knows that, back when Winter and Summer were both free, they’d each seek a host, and then they’d battle it out. So, naturally, Winter wanted to defeat Summer, and she saw him inside Martyn - So she possessed him, too. Now he’s got a good god and an evil god fighting not just over control over his body, but they’re also trying to kill each other while inside his body. As you can imagine, that’s… Sort of… _Bad._ Winter is winning, and now Martyn has to either accept Winter and become a complete slave that can’t control himself and may, umm… Forget who you are and try to kill you and everything alive to create an unstoppable Winter full of death, umm… Or he must try and help Summer and fight her off. If he tries that and fails, though… He’ll die.” Rythian spoke the last words with a touch of somberness.

Toby sniffled and Rythian felt like he saw his lip tremble and his eyes sparkle for just a second, but he closed his eyes and breathed for a second, and when he turned back to the others he looked like he had fought back the tears.

“Look,” said Rythian. “I can warm him up temporarily so he can talk to us. I’ll have to use Endermagic, though, and I swore I’d never use that again, unless it was an emergency… I suppose this is, isn’t it…? Then he’ll be warmed up and we can just have a nice chat with him. Does that sound okay?” asked Rythian, gently. He knew what it was like to loose someone close to you, after all he had thought Zoey was gone forever…

Toby nodded and sniffled again, and Zoey wrapped her arms around him and whispered little phrases into his ear, which noticeably calmed him down. She had met the boy under 20 minutes ago, and she was already mothering him. _That girl_ , thought Rythian, his heart selling with joy and love. He turned towards Martyn and focused all of this warm energy into the center of his body, collecting it. There are two types of Endermagic: Spells, charms, and the like that healed things, built new things, created, added to the world instead of taking from it, these can be summoned by happy and positive emotions. They are also fueled by creativity. The darker side, however… It’s fueled by the Void… And the Void destroys everything. More destructive spells, naturally, use this power. Enderman and those related to them, like Rythian, have the Void within their bones from birth - So they can control it and use its power, its emptiness, its destructive creativity to fuel their magic. This is more commonly used in battles, but the other type could be too, since it can heal the user and others, and it can create shields. Rythian was okay with using the first type, and he was glad that was all this situation required from him, but he would prefer to never use the darker side again - It’s what drove him to become what he was while he was with the Demon Guild.

Rythian held his hands up in front of him and stared deep into Martyn’s pale-blue eyes. He had made the connection, now he need to perform the real magic. He focused the warmth in his heart to bunch together, and added just a touch of Endermagic which he conducted from somewhere within himself, and he pushed the concoction through his eyes and into Martyn’s. He had fully established the link now, so he refocused the energy and sent it through his arms. As it moved, he tried to remember the words for a spell called _Healing Flame._ It was warm, but not too warm, and it would warm the target or the user inside and outside, as well as heal many minor wounds, both mental and physical. Unfortunately, though, it wasn’t strong enough to kill the goddess Winter… He hadn’t spoken anything in Endertongue in ages, so he had to find his footing with the pronunciations and the accent again. He recalled the words and they drifted over his deft tongue and exited his mouth with ease, as if he spoke the words every day. He forced the energy behind the words to establish the magic’s purpose, so the energy in his arms knew what to do once it exited Rythian’s trembling hands - which had also grown unaccustomed to the strange feeling of having Endermagic pulse through them - and entered Martyn. He felt the energy exit his hands and he saw it leave his fingers, a bright, orange-ish, fire-colored heat that curled around his fingers like thin smoke before heading in the direction of Martyn. It curled around him and warmed his outside, and his eyes became a darker blue, and his skin, clothes, and hair became a more faded blue as they returned to their natural colors. Rythian closed his eyes and concentrated harder, his brow furrowing as he directed all of his energy into the spell, into Martyn.

When he opened his eyes as the spell finished, the Martyn he saw before him was completely changed. His eyes were a dark blue, and his hair was a vibrant dirty-blonde color. His skin was fair, and his clothes were green. His eyes sparkled with relief and warmth, and Rythian thought perhaps a tear of joy or two. His hair had little bangs, like Toby’s, but they were very short, and they were combed up and slicked back slightly… Well, they had been, anyways, and it had been a long night, so most of it had fallen messily on his face. It wasn’t very long in the sides or the back, either. The most notable difference, however, was that Martyn was smiling now.

There was a big hug - Rythian thought he saw Toby’s lips brush against Martyn’s neck, but he couldn’t be sure - and then, there was the awkwardness… Toby mumbled a question to Martyn, asking whether he had heard everything Rythian had said, and Martyn replied that he had. Rythian wasn’t sure how to proceed. He turned to Martyn and had to simply tell the truth, no matter how much it hurt.

“He must simply refuse Winter and hope Summer defeats her, I’m afraid… Hope he doesn’t die. I’ll use my magic to help him as much as I can, and I’m sure these people will use their 'science-y' things to help, but… We can only hope. He’s going to start freezing again soon, we have to do something, that’s for sure.”

“No!” shouted Toby. “I just-I just got my-my-my b-best friend back!” he said, blushing a little. “I thought he was going to _die!_ I thought I had _lost_ him! **_Forever!”_**

“I know what that feels like, I almost lost her,” said Rythian, pointing at Zoey. “But I did what I had to. I used magic to keep her from dying, and, together, we used science to replace her arm, which fell off during the explosion. Oh, I should explain, basically-“

"Whatever!” Toby interrupted. “See, though? _You did what you had to!_ So I want Martyn to do _whatever_ he has to do to survive. I don’t care. Go ahead, let Winter possess you if you have to in order to live.”

“No!” exclaimed Rythian. “Not only will he forget you and kill you, he’ll kill us all and plummet this world into a never-ending Winter. I’m sorry, but it’s true. He’ll be forced to. He’ll be forced to watch as he destroys everything he loved. I’m sorry, but it’s true.”

“W-Well,” stuttered Toby, swallowing hard. “Ju-Just… Nothing tonight! We’ll come back tomorrow, the spell will hold ’til then, I’m sure, and then we’ll come here in the morning and talk. I think… For now… Martyn and I both just need to go home and - and get some - some sleep,” he finished, looking at the floor and blushing slightly. Martyn yawned as if to prove his point and his half-lidded eyes grew weary. “Look,” continued Toby. “I’m just trying to take care of him, okay? And I think he needs sleep if he’s ever gonna get better, so I’d just… Like to take him home. I need sleep, too. I promise, we’ll come back tomorrow morning. O-Okay?” he finished.

“Fine,” Rythian sighed. “One night shouldn’t do too much harm, although it could do some, so I still think you should at least spend the night here, but whatever.”

“Oh, well… Umm… I mean, I thought he was dead, and… Well, thanks for the offer, I-“

Thankfully, Zoey stepped in and saved Toby, who was floundering like a fish-out-of-water. Rythian was pretty sure that what Toby was trying to say is  _I need to go kiss the shit out of him_ , and he felt like perhaps everyone else in the room, or at least Zoey, knew this, too, but he didn't say anything.

“I understand, you haven’t properly talked with him in a while, I understand. Go, go ahead on home. Xephos, perhaps we should give these two a flying ring and some fuel,” she said.

“Yes, I’ll get them,” said Xephos, flying upstairs to craft some flying rings, or perhaps find some spare.

There were exchanges of goodbyes, wishes of good fortune, and Rythian even mumbled a few himself, but he wasn’t paying attention. Something was _off._ Rythian had noticed it and he was trying to figure out what it was. It didn’t take long to realize it was a _something_ approaching the factory, a something with high magical-energy. A few minutes after Martyn and Toby had flown off, Rythian finally figured out what it was.

They were the most powerful he had ever felt.

“Phantoms!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

 

* * *

 

 

They all had swords, mining lasers, magical weapons, and all manner of weapons at the ready, and that’s when the door seemed to be nonexistent. An army of Phantoms much larger than the ones that had fought them last night filed in through the door, phasing through it as if it had never been there. They came straight for them all, and they seemed invincible, every hit bouncing off of them like nothing. Their tendrils were extremely long, and they didn’t even have to Poof. They stayed in Ghost form the entire time, and their tendrils knocked everyone they touched unconscious with ease. Nothing impeded them at all, they just touched everyone until they fainted, and then one grabbed them and exited the building and Ghosted, flying up towards the clouds. _How? They are perhaps ten times stronger than the others, and they aren’t even using Blood Magic! They must belong to another master, they must have been sent by a more powerful Demon…_ Rythian was one of the last few left. With his SoulScribe, he managed to cut one of one’s tendrils off, but this only made it angrier, it grabbed Rythian and jammed a tentacle down his throat. Rythian’s vision became spotted, and he blacked out from both the inability to breathe and the touch of the Phantom. At the last second, he performed a Thaumic charm which caused his SoulScribe to go into a sort of “Pocket Dimension” for storage, so he could call it out later, in case the Phantoms took it from him, and then he blacked out.

 

* * *

 

 

When Rythian came too, he and the others were in a palace in the clouds. With his back to them, what Rythian assumed was the Phantoms’ Demon master said, “Oh, thank goodness, you _actually_ followed my orders for once and brought them here unharmed. Oh, even Rythian’s unharmed, I can see… Oh, don’t fret, my newest friends, I can see  all, even if it is behind me. Anyways, I’d really like to talk to you,” he said, his voice sickeningly relaxed and calmly commanding.

“Rythian, how do you know this man?” asked Zoey. “Rythian, who is this?” She asked, more urgently this time, her voice now quavering.

“I… I don’t know…” he replied, honestly.

The man turned around and Rythian saw something in his face that made him remember days long past…

And then a million little pieces of a puzzle he had chosen to take apart all clicked together, and a good portion of that puzzle was finished again, as hundreds of gears in his mind began spinning alarmingly fast, and memories Rythian would have rather forgotten flooded his brain, at first hitting it with a horrible, hot, burning sensation, and then leaving behind an icy chill as they drowned his mind and suffocated his ability to think clearly. He gasped and covered his mouth. He struggled for air, and he began stuttering, unable to believe that he had seen _him_ again.

He had seen Kirin.

Kirin saw the look on his face and grinned, flashing a horrible and wicked smile.

“So,” he began. “How has life been since we last saw each other, Rythian? It's certainly been a while. So, I ask you again, how have you been since we last talked? Since you stole my apprentice for yourself and turned him into a filthy Sanguimancer and my other apprentice betrayed me and nearly killed me, leaving me cursed and in the wilderness with nothing but a wife who now hated me?” How have you been,” he said, his voice dropping down an octave and speaking with a sickening style and tone that made Rythian’s skin crawl, “Since you left the Guild?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's been real stressful, mainly because I was super busy, so it was hard to find time to write much in one sitting. It'll be summer soon (pretty ironic after the turn this story has taken, I know), so I can write loads then.
> 
> Also, sorry I'm trying to make things like InTheLittleFrost, which don't really have any plot significance whatsoever, work/have an explanation. If you think this is bad, just wait, it gets worse. I go as far as to explain why the MAtmos mod was removed from the Yogscast's mod packs... Yeah, pretty weird. More than that, though, but I won't spoil it... It's not super-forced, so I guess it's okay.
> 
> Also, sorry I'm such a slave for Toby and Martyn being a 'ship. Sorry, it's just too cute to pass up. IT'S MY ONE WEAKNESS NOOOO To be honest, though, it ain't the only YogShip which I am helpless in the presence of.
> 
> As for why I didn't use their usernames to be consistent with the other characters, well... They're too long to even be real names, so that's why I didn't. Sure, Lalna is a weird name, but it sounds like it _could_ be a name... InTheLittleWood/InTheLittleFrost does not, and neither does SoTotallyToby/LikeTotallyToby. So... That's why ;)


	5. Our Freedom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still really busy. I think I was better about this one, though.

Rythian couldn’t believe it. He didn’t know how he was staring into the face of Kirin. But there was no mistaking it… No mistaking Kirin’s calm and collected voice, his commanding manner of speech, the dark aura which seemed to emanate from him and suffocate all others around him, making their bones ache inside and their heads split with pain. No mistaking his blond hair, no mistaking his beard which was patterned so uniquely, left and right sides of his face, but nothing in the middle.

There was no mistaking it.

This was Kirin.

Rythian thought this was an extremely horrible thing. Kirin was, of course, one of the four, including Rythian, who fought for control of the Broken Petals Demon Guild. Rythian assumed that, after being left cursed and with nothing, he must have regained his strength and power, because Kirin stood so proudly over them all, and he commanded such a powerful army of Phantoms.

Kirin paced swiftly towards Rythian and continued speaking.

“I’ve been just _fine_ since all that went down with the Broken Petals Guild, and you stood victorious. I wonder, why would you leave after _winning?_ ”

“I didn’t _win._ ” said Rythian. “I was the last standing of you and… The other, but… _He_ was going to kill me in a few days, anyways.”

“I find it funny,” Kirin replied. “That you don't even remember their names."

"I would, but I  _chose_ to forget... To move on. Unlike you, I actually  _cared_ about keeping the people around me safe, so I stopped doing Demon Magic. I did after Strife, anyways..."

Rythian gasped and fought back the urge to scream. He _knew_ Strife. Well, he didn't speak to him often, but he knew he was a person. He knew he was a scientist. But he never made the connection... He closed his eyes for a second and collected himself, exhaling deeply, before staring back into Kirin's horrible, yet placid, eyes.

"Ahh..." said Kirin, his voice sickeningly slow and thick, like honey. "So you remember his name now... Oh, this is a joy already. Let's begin dinner."

"It's the morning, we haven't even had breakfast... Wait, why the fuck would we have dinner?"

Kirin ignored him and waved his hands. Tendrils of color and light appeared from his hands and swirled around the room, and a table set with dinner for all of them appeared on the colorful wind which swept through the place. Rythian looked around, now realizing that he hadn't actually observed where they were. They were in what Rythian would have guessed was a dining hall. It had high ceilings made of luxurious marble. All the walls were of this polished marble, too. A few windows were scattered here and there, and, by looking out one, Rythian could see that the large building they were in was perched  _on_   _the clouds._   _I suppose he's very powerful..._ thought Rythian.The windows were made of a pale-but-colorful light blue stained glass. The floors were made of a luxurious polished stone, something with the texture and patterns of granite and the color of some orange stone, like amber but creamier. There was one area where the floor was made of lustrously polished wood, with steps leading to a platform with a podium, made of unprocessed wood straight from a tree. There were a few chairs around the podium. The table was made of half-logs, so the bottom of the table was round, and the top was the flat part where the log had been cut in half. The decoration styles of the place clashed with each other so much that Rythian couldn't imagine anyone wanting it decorated this way.

"Sit, please," said Kirin, his voice just as pleasant as before.

No one in the room moved. Rythian even growled a little.

"Sit,  _please,_ " said Kirin, having dropped just a touch of poison into his voice.

A few sat down, Honeydew mumbling something like, "Alright, alright, calm down," before taking his place next to Xephos. Zoey began to move towards the table, but Rythian grabbed her and stopped her.

"I said sit!" shouted Kirin, his voice exploding suddenly.

Zoey was rather scared and fought Rythian, fussing until she broke out of his grip, and then taking her place at a seat. Rythian slowly paced over to the table and sat next to her, his eyes, which were so filled with hatred, never leaving Kirin. Kirin began smiling again and waved his hands. A blue light appeared around every plate of food, and then a red light around the entire table. Rythian blinked just once, and it was all gone. He had the sudden urge to yawn.

"Now, it is dinnertime," said Kirin. "I put us all into stasis until... I suppose it's about 8 o'clock at night, isn't it? Well, you've gone without food all day, so you should be starving. Don't worry, I put a little shield over the food so time wouldn't pass for it. You know, it wouldn't get cold or whatnot. Now, eat."

As much as Rythian hated to give him the satisfaction, he had to eat everything in front of him. He was pretty sure it was poisoned, but he didn't really care. Kirin would kill them all, anyways. He mumbled something about this and Kirin laughed and said he'd explain later.

"So, let me get this straight," said Rythian, between mouthfuls of the food, which, as much as Rythian hated to admit it, was extremely good. "You put us all into stasis for perhaps, like, 12 hours... Went to all that trouble... So you could have fucking dinner with us?"

"Of course," said Kirin. "Conversation is better over food, and I wasn't going to just make you breakfast. No, no; that simply wasn't good enough. Besides, I needed it to be night, because I need you all to be tired. You'll be staying the night here... Well, most likely, anyways."

"Why? Can't you just get it over with and kill us already?"

"Oh, no, Rythian... My fight with you will be different. Here, this will answer your little question about why I didn't poison the food.  _When_ I finally decide to kill you, it won't be like this, no, not at all. I will be sure it is an epic clash, not just me poisoning your food or stabbing you here and now when you still don't have a good mastery of your Endermagic, since it's been  _so_ long since you've properly used it. It won't be today, though."

"I don't intend on ever using Endermagic  _or_ Blood Magic  _ever_ again, so-"

"-As I was saying," interrupted Kirin. "That's not why I brought you here, I have no intention of killing, or harming, anyone."

"Oh? Then why the fuck're we here?" asked Honeydew.

"Please, Honeydew. I know this... This man, and you don't... You should let me deal with him." said Rythian

"Smart advice," said Kirin. "Just because I don't  _intend_ on killing any of you doesn't mean I can't be  _convinced_. You really should listen to your friend here,  _dwarf._ "

Xephos let out a small squeak and his hand flew to Honeydew's knee. Rythian thought he was sure no one else noticed, but it seemed like everyone did, and even Honeydew gave him an odd look out of the corner of his eyes as if to say, "What the fuck?" before shaking his head and returning to his meal.

"I must agree with him, though," said Rythian. "If you don't intend on killing or torturing me, then why've you brought me here?"

"Well, because.... I've been watching you. I found your base in the desert just a week or so ago. I could have pounced on you then and killed you easily, but I didn't. Instead I watched, and waited... Sure enough, you were attacked by the Sanguimantic Phantoms. So, I did some research, and I figured it out."

Rythian dropped his fork onto his plate loudly. "Figured...  _What._ Out...?" asked Rythian.

"Well," said Kirin. "It didn't take much further observation, especially once I saw you in that old tower of yours, to realize that you intended on killing the Sanguimancer once you found them." said Kirin.

"And so what if I was?" demanded Rythian. "I - Look, I have a bad history with Blood Magic, all right?"

"Oh, Rythian, I'm not saying there's anything  _wrong_ with wanting to kill them. In fact, I want to, too. They're dangerous."

"You hypocrite! They're only dangerous because they're using Demon Magic! But so are you!"

"No, I'm not dangerous, because I can control it... Our little friend though,  _isn't_ strong enough to do so. That's why they're dangerous. Anyways, I figured... It would be a challenge for either of us to kill them alone, so I figured... Well, maybe you could re-train yourself to use Endermagic, and then we could... Kill the Sanguimancer together. Just like old times..."

"No." Rythian said, defiantly. His voice rang out and was audible over the lightning striking outside. "Absolutely not. There is no way I will use the destructive type of Endermagic ever again, and there's  _definitely_ no way I'm teaming up with you."

"Ah, but remember, I still haven't answered your question... You asked what I meant by 'I figured it out,' and I never did properly explain what I meant. Here's the thing, Rythian. I know  _exactly_ who's been doing Blood Magic, and I know  _exactly_ where to find them. So, I'm afraid, you're going to  _have_ to team up with my, hmm?'

Rythian growled. "No way. I'll figure it out myself if I have to."

"But what if it's too late? What if you're too late to protect...  _Her?_ "

Rythian almost jumped at Kirin and tore him apart with his own teeth.

"How long," he said through gritted teeth, "Did you watch us?"

"I said a week. Oh, I see what you mean, yes. Every minute of every day. Well, not literally, but I would say I found out  _quite_ a lot about you and your...  _Friends._ "

"Anyways," continued Kirin. "Fine. If you're so stubborn, I'll tell you. It's Parvis."

"Who the fuck is Parvis?" asked Rythian.

"Oh, we sort of know Parv..." said Xephos. "We once found a deserted pagoda in the middle of the ocean, and a man called 'Parv' had once lived there. Sips and Sjin found it once, too... We never met them, though."

"Yes, see? I was telling the truth. But I'm certainly not going to tell you where he and Strife are unless you agree to help me kill him." said Kirin.

"What?!?!" shouted Rythian. "What do you mean, Strife?!?!"

Kirin laughed heartily and said, "Oh, after you and Strife split up, he came to me for a while... Just a little while... And then he left again. Then Parvis found, buried in his back yard, just a small Blood Orb, a Sacrificial Knife, a Sacrificial Orb, and a small map which led to one of your... Shall I say... Strongholds, I suppose. That's all it took. He showed it to Strife, who had once been a friend of his, sometime after Strife left me. They had decided to go their separate ways for just a while. Parvis thought that it would be an exciting adventure, a great way for the pair to...  _Reconnect_ , I suppose. They would follow the map together and do Blood Magic together, 'yay!' But Strife had a bad history with Sanguimancy after his time with  _you._ So, he insisted that they not. I guess he has a weak spot for Parvis, because he eventually agreed to help Parvis. I know exactly where their base is. But I won't tell you unless you agree to help me kill him."

"No. Absolutely not. I don't really want to see you again, to be honest, Kirin. You remind me of...  _Darker_ times. I'll find the place myself, don't you worry."

"He's helping him, now, you know. Strife is teaching Parvis just how you taught him. Just  _what_ you taught him..."

"Stop!" interrupted Rythian. "I know what you're trying to do, but it isn't working. I'll find him myself. I'll fix this myself. I'm not working with you."

"Ahaha, you're just as much of a fun toy as you were then, Rythian. I didn't want to have to do this, but... Parvis is a danger to all. He  _must_ be killed, and neither of us can do it ourselves. So if you won't choose to help me..." Kirin's frowning face and poison eyes turned bright and happy in and instant. "I'll just have to ask you in the morning and see if you've changed your mind. For now, why don't I put you all in a nice bedroom... Warm beds... Comfy sheets... Mmmm..."

Rythian and several others at the table yawned.

"See? You're tired, let's get you upstairs..."

"No, I'm tired, but we can just go and sleep back at the Factory. We don't need to stay here, and we won't."

"Ahahahahaha, oh, _Rythian._ You make me laugh  _so_ much. You're just so much fun, hehe! No, no,  _actually_ you  _do_ have to stay and sleep here. I think you'll find that eating makes people tired. Plus, you've been up all day, even though you were in stasis for most of it. Anyways, I think you'll  _also_ find that, when people are tired, they make poor decisions. Like just know, when you refused my offer... That was a poor decision, and you only made it because you were tired. So let's get you all some sleep and then we'll reevaluate the situation in the morning, hmm?"

"No!" said Rythian. "We're leaving  _now._ " said Rythian.

"Ahaha, Rythian... Oh, but I'm afraid you  _can't_..." said Kirin, a horrible smile appearing on his face.

Rythian realized, with sickening horror, that he couldn't move his hands. His eating had slowed in pace until finally it was no more than a crawl, but he had thought he was just tired... He tried to move his legs, and found that they were also stiff and it wouldn't be long before he couldn't move them at all. It was already a chore just to wiggle his toes. Everything he had eaten suddenly dropped into the pit of his stomach, bouncing back upwards, threatening to exit him as vomit. His entire stomach seemed to flip and flop around. 

"You... You  _did_ poison the food, you liar!" he exclaimed.

"Ahaha, of  _course_ I did... I know it's been a long time, Rythian, but  _really?_ You clearly don't remember me at all," Kirin laughed. "Oh, but it was a special type of poison. It would poison you no mater what, but I would have been able to - and I would have - instantly reversed its effects if you chose to work with me. But, if you didn't, I always had a backup plan, ahaha," he laughed.

He got up from his seat and walked around to each one of their chairs, easily lifting them with an invisible magical force. When he got to Rythian, he spat in his face, but Kirin merely repelled it with a magic shield which seemed to come from nowhere and say something about how  _silly_  Rythian was. He carried them to the other side of the room and brought them up a set of stairs, before taking a right turn into a hallway with many small doors. He opened the doors to reveal that they were bedrooms, but that they locked from the outside. One already had people in it. Nilesy and Lomadia were in a room together, both lethargic and bound to the floor by their tiredness, giving the others no more than a glance before laying their heads back down on the floor. There hands and feet were bound and their mouths gagged. Kirin put them all into similar rooms.

"Oh, I swung by their base earlier and picked them up... See, I've been planning this for a  _while._ It's just a coincidence that it happened on the night that the ice-boy visited you." explained Kirin.

He split them up, leaving Honeydew, Xephos, and Lalna together, Sips, Sjin, and Tee together, and Rythian and Zoey together. They were forced to watch each other get bound and gagged before being simply dropped onto the floor. Kirin shut all the doors, one by one, and then came to Zoey and Rythian's room.

"You're the lucky people, I suppose... I'm not going to bind you." said Kirin, before letting go of his magic aura and letting them drop onto the bed.  _Why is he showing us this extra kindness?_ wondered Rythian.  _No binds, no gags, bed instead of floor... Hmm..._

"Right, then." shouted Kirin from outside in the hallway. "Get some sleep. I'll know you've had enough sleep when you start making better decisions. In other words, no one leaves until Rythian agrees to work with me. Goodnight, now! Have a  _wonderful_ sleep."

With sickening horror, Rythian heard the locks of all the doors click, one by one. As much as Rythian tried to fight it, he couldn't stay awake. Eventually, he heard Zoey's breathing steady, and knew she had succumbed to sleep. No one even had the energy to talk anymore. Rythian knew the poison would work its way out of his system faster if he was asleep, so he finally let himself be defeated and he fell into the world of dreams.

* * *

 

When Rythian awoke, the first thing he did was try to move. He was absolutely overjoyed to find that the poison had, indeed, worn off. He got up from his bed and woke Zoey, shaking her shoulder gently. She opened her eyes, sleepily at first, but once Rythian told her that the poison had worn off, she squealed and jumped up.

"Now... How do we get out of here..." said Rythian.

"Hmmm.... I don't know." replied Zoey.

"I could use destructive Endermagic..." said Rythian, trailing off.

"No." insisted Zoey. "If you don't feel comfortable using it, then we need to respect that. Hmm..." She paced around a little before tripping over her own foot, as the poison wasn't completely gone yet. She landed on her side and cried out in pain. She got up and jumped around, holding the side which she fell on.

"Zoey?"

"It's-ow-It's fine. There's just something sharp in my pocket... Well, not sharp, but hard... Almost like a..." Zoey clasped her hand over her mouth and gasped before crying out in joy and jumping up and down, squeezing Rythian's shoulders for support. 

'We're saved, Rythian! We're saved!"

"Wha-What is it you have, Zoey?"

"The ring! I've still got the Ring of Arcana in my pocket!" she said, happily.

"Oh! That's wonderful! We could probably even kill Kirin with it! But..."

"But what?" she asked.

"It's just... I wouldn't want to make you use it... I mean... Are you sure... Sure you can do that?"

She placed her hand on his chin and whispered, "Yes. I'm aware of the sacrifice and I can do it." she said.

Rythian nodded and Zoey reached into her pocket, pulling out the ring. Her breathing accelerated, and she stared at it for a few seconds, before Rythian cleared his throat and she laughed nervously. She put the ring onto her finger and adopted an expression of deep pain.

"It's okay, Zoey. You can do this. Go ahead, let the magic seep into you. You can do this. You can fight it."

She nodded and relaxed her face. Suddenly, her mouth dropped open and her limbs went weak, and she let out a small moan as the ring's power filled her.

She was interrupted from her ecstasy by Rythian's steady voice saying, "Okay, no remember, concentrate on warm thoughts. Stay secular. Don't start thinking about what you  _could_ do with this power, just think about what you  _can_ and  _will_ do. Only focus on using it to get us out of here and perhaps kill Kirin. Other than that, don't think about what you could do with the power. Just focus on warm things, worldly things, secular things. Focus on Tee and I, and all the others. Okay? Can you do that?"

"Yes." said Zoey, sure of herself.

She walked towards the locked door and focussed deeply on it, holding her hand out in front of the door. She felt her Klein Star grow warm in her pocket, so much so that she could feel it through the fabric. The ring began to grow hot too, and it warmed her cold fingers up. She then decided she'd choose a spell of exploding-fire, and she closed her eyes and breathed deeply a few times, before finally opening them and grunting a little, stepping forward towards the door. Flames erupted on her wrist, and fire shot from her ring and exploded upon hitting the door. As the fire left her ring, the ring cooled down. The effect was immediate. As soon as the fire left her, she fell backwards into Rythian's waiting arms, all fires extinguished. She had gone from burning up to nearly frozen. She opened her eyes just in time to see the door explode and fly onto the floor in bits. When she saw it, the ring flashed, and the orgasmic power flooded back through her body. She felt as if a switch had been turned off and back on again, she felt exhilarated and  _hot._ She was even hotter than the first time she accepted the ring's power. She knew that the ring was fueled by seeing its destructive energy hit its mark or its creative energy do its job.

She moaned loudly again, simply unable to help it. She stood up and walked outside, unlocking every door and freeing those within. She made them be quiet as she worked. Rythian followed and tried to help, but she worked with such speed and energy that he could do almost nothing compared to her. When they were all free, Rythian held his hands in front of his face and called his SoulScribe to him. It made a little popping noise before it came into existence in front of him. He grabbed it and tucked it away into the holster he had made for it.

"Listen. Zoey has equipped a magic ring that will help us, and I have my SoulScribe, and I don't think Kirin actually took anything away from you, for some reason... We're going to run down those stairs and get past him and his Phantoms, and then we're going to get to the balcony I noticed earlier. If we can get out there, we can jump down."

"How will we survive the fall?" asked Sjin.

"I've got a way, don't worry..." replied Rythian, trailing off. "We ready?" he asked.

There was a chorus of "Yes," "Yeah," "Let's kill that sonuva bitch," but Rythian didn't really hear much of it... He was, if he was honest with himself, a little scared.

They rushed down the stairs, Rythian, Zoey, and Tee in the lead, and ran into the dining hall. Tee had an arrow primed and shot it at Kirin immediately when the went around the corner. He was standing just in front of the entrance to the balcony. Surprisingly, it actually hit him and caught him off-guard. He pulled it out of his chest and revealed the once-invisible magic armor he had been wearing. There was a tiny drop of blood from where the arrow broke the shield, but Kirin was otherwise unharmed. He growled angrily as the others came down the stairs.

"I didn't expect you'd be so soon. I thought it would take you a lot longer after the 3 and a half hours it would take the poison to wear off before you  _finally_ decided to use it." said Kirin.

"Use what? What are you talking about?" demanded Rythian.

"Oh, you know, Endermagic." said Kirin, nonchalantly.

"I  _didn't_ use Endermagic. I used a Ring of Arcana."

"Oh!" exclaimed Kirin. "I see, you've find your way around my plan..."

"What plan?" asked Rythian.

"Oh, you  _really_ aren't very bright, are you...? I planned this all. I  _wanted_ you to escape. In fact, it's why I didn't take anyone's weapons. I knew you'd put yours into Thaumic Storage, anyways, so why bother? Here, let me explain my plan: You wake up, you can't get out, so you debate whether you'll use Endermagic or not, and you'd decide you have to, because you're the only ones who didn't get tied up - Oh, I forgot to mention, I did that on purpose, too, heh - and then you'd use it to bust your friends out.Then you'd summon your SoulScribe, and realize everyone else still had their weapons, and you'd get  _cocky._ You'd start to think you could beat me, because... Well, it's no coincidence that I spent  _so_ long creating my armor so that it was more than just invisible to the naked eye, it was _completely_ invisible, you wouldn't even be able to see it by detecting what magic is radiated from me. No matter what spells you'd use, you wouldn't be able to see my armor. Anyways, all of this combined, you'd get cocky, and you'd  _run_ down here like an idiot and do something stupid like shooting an arrow at me. Then, you'd realize that the only way to get past my magic armor would be to use Endermagic - And since you already used it a few minutes ago, it would come easily. I'd still win, of course, as I'm sure you've lost your touch with Endermagic after so much time. So, I'd still kick your ass and then you'd be forced to join me - And in the process you will have become re-addicted to Demon-Magic. I didn't count on you having the Ring when I planned this, though..."

"You... You planned every single detail of this?" asked Lalna.

"Of course I did. Even though you know my plan now, you'll still fall right into it. You'll still know that the only way to kill me is Endermagic... So I guess I'm fine with how this turned out."

Zoey took Rythian's head in her hands and leaned in to whisper to Rythian, "Use it. I used the Ring, you can use this. It'll be okay... Just do what I had to do. Think about warm things, like us. Think about me."

"I can't." he whispered back. "I-I don't want to  ** _hurt_** anyone, not ever again..." he trailed off.

"You won't. Just think of us. Just think of  ** _me._** You'll be fine."

"Are you... Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Rythian nodded and turned towards Kirin. He calmly breathed for a few moments, remembering all the defense spells he could. He raised his hands and closed his eyes, thinking about his friends. He even wanted to protect Lalna. He used this to cast up a shield near the staircase, sort of like a bubble, which only him and his friends could enter. It would protect them from harm while inside. He used a great deal of extra energy to imbue a healing property in it. He then casted a shield onto each one of them - It took a lot of energy, but it would give them all the ability to heal slowly and would absorb some of the damage an attack would cause. At this point his nose was bleeding after not using Endermagic for so long. He wiped it and then thought of all the attack spells and defense spells he would use during combat he still remembered, and tried one. He got a horrible headache and it felt like his head had split open, but he had, indeed, launched a bolt of lightning at the wall. His nose was bleeding very badly now, and without thinking, he performed a spell that would ease the pain. He was starting to get used to his old ways again.  _Is that really a good thing?_ he wondered. He shot a spectral sharp rock from his hands and his condition or pain didn't get any worse. He had re-acclimated to using simple Endermagic spells.

Rythian took a few tentative steps towards Kirin, and then held his hands up. There was a moment of silence, in which the only sounds were the breaths of the people in the room. Rythian exhaled deeply and closed his eyes, relaxing. He opened them and stepped forward, shouting, "Go!" and firing off a fireball at Kirin.

A whirlwind of motion began. Kirin was hit square in the face by the fireball, but his magic shield appeared once more, made of blue hexagons. Kirin's hands waved and Phantoms sprang up from the ground everywhere. The others began running around frantically, shooting arrows and swinging swords at Phantoms. As Phantoms fell, they seemed to be replaced almost instantly. Rythian was able to quickly stab two and incinerate one with Endermagic, but it didn't do much to help. Rythian's head whipped around, looking for Kirin. He knew he was there, somewhere amidst the chaos, but he had dashed away when the Phantoms showed up. Rythian finally spotted him near the wall, casting spells which seemed to lend his strength the Phantoms. Rythian used Endermagic to run quickly behind him and stab him in the back with his SoulScribe. His armor was disabled because he had been giving energy to the Phantoms, so he let out a cry of pain and Rythian heard the horrible, gut-wrenching sound as the knife plunged into Kirin and destroyed bone, muscle, and his very Demonic Spirit. Rythian took the knife out and, before he could plunge it in again, he was batted off of Kirin's back by his powerful hand. Kirin stepped towards him slowly and he was unable to move; the wind was knocked out of him by the blow. He was suffocating and beginning to see spots. As he finally began to regain air, Kirin crossed the final distance between them. He was hit in the back by a large fireball shot by Zoey. He screamed and turned to her, running at her full-speed. Rythian had recovered and jumped up, chasing after Kirin and blasting him with icy Endermagic. He howled with pain once more and teleported away. Zoey nodded at Rythian, and then went back to killing Phantoms.

Kirin appeared behind Sips and Sjin, who were protecting Lomadia and Nilesy, who had absolutely no idea what was going on or how they got here, and struck each one of them with a sharp spectral knife which appeared in his hands. It went into their backs and each was down. He then teleported away again. Rythian ran to them and shouted for Zoey to follow. She used her ring to heal them. Its "Harvest Goddess" powers could also heal any living thing. Meanwhile, Rythian stabbed a Phantom which tried to come close, and Zoey zapped one with lightning that was seeking to revive its fallen comrade. Zoey gasped and shouted, "Rythian! My Klein Star! It's... It's out of power..." she said, trailing off. Rythian was about to assure her it was okay, but he was cut off by seeing Kirin in the corner of the room, helping the Phantoms again. He ran to him, but he turned around in time and cut him down with a spectral sword.

"Aha!" he exclaimed. He waved his hands and all the Phantoms receded into the ground. "I did that one on purpose. I was faking it. Now that I've got your attention, let's have some fun." 

Everyone in the room quieted.

He held out his hands and blasted Rythian with some kind of lightning. Rythian rolled on the floor to avoid it. He then jumped up and dodged just as Kirin attempted to zap him again. He dodged an entourage of attacks and attempted to get close, but he couldn't, and even if he did the shield would still be up. He decided on an Endermagic spell called  _Bubbling Fire_ and got down on one knee, sliding slightly, as it launched at Kirin. A few orange bubbles came out of his hand and barraged Kirin, burning him. Rythian attempted to dodge the bolt he knew was coming, but he couldn't in time. It hit his shoulder and his body buckled in pain before falling to the ground. Rythian used an Endermagic spell which allowed time to slow down for him so he could observe his surroundings. Looking around, he saw that Kirin had placed a forcefield around the two of them, and that was why no one had come in to help him. He had gotten rid of the Phantoms so as to have a "one-on-one" with Rythian. Rythian decided to redirect the shock back at Kirin with Endermagic, but he had to act fast, before it left his body. He released the reaction-time spell and then quickly caught the electricity inside his body, shooting it back out. It hit Kirin, who fell from his levitation to the ground and shrieked out in pain. He got up, though, and readied a bolt which would surely hit Rythian and surely kill him. Rythian went into reaction-time and readied one of the most powerful Endermagic spells he knew. It would destroy Kirin's shield, but it would also hurt Rythian a lot. He cast it anyways and removed the reaction-time, and it hit Kirin before he could deliver the fatal blow. The blue hexagons around Kirin shattered. He was now vulnerable to physical attacks, too.

He composed himself and got up. He pulled out a spectral dagger about the size of Rythian's SoulScribe, and the two began circling around. A duel had begun.

There was no noise. No one in the entire room spoke. There was only the sound of blades hitting and two people grunting as they swung them.

Rythian swiped at Kirin with his SoulScribe, but Kirin blocked it with his blade and retaliated quickly. Rythian dodged and swiped at him again, and again, and again, but he blocked every time. The two were circling still. After countless blocks and dodges, Rythian was getting worn out.  He was being quickly overpowered in this weakened state. He knew he couldn't hold his ground much longer, so he closed his eyes and allowed the Void to guide his attacks. He never would have thought he would let the Endermagic do this much, but it was the only way. He just closed his eyes and followed his instincts; did what the Void told him to. It spoke with a soothing and hushed voice, calm and peaceful, and it told him when and how to dodge, parry, swing, and block. Finally, he heard his blade slice through Kirin. He opened his eyes and pounced on him, stabbing into his abdomen. The forcefield around them dissipated. He had won.

He shouted and beckoned for the others to follow him towards the balcony. Suddenly, Kirin jumped up, and waved his hands, and the Phantoms reappeared. Rythian cursed and stabbed and killed one near him, but he knew everyone was exhausted and Zoey's Klein Star was out of power, so it wasn't going to be easy to win again.  _How did they revive themselves so quickly?_ thought Rythian. Kirin shouted and all the Phantoms made a sort of wall with their bodies, blocking the balcony. Zoey was nearby and one of the Phantoms grabbed her. It held 8 blade-like tendrils around her neck and began to move them in, slowly. Rythian screamed and ran after her, but was tackled by Kirin.

 _Shit!_ thought Rythian. His SoulScribe had been lost! Kirin began strangling him with his powerful hands, squeezing the air out of him. He chocked and gagged loudly, and he began to see spots. He was quickly blacking out.

Lalna used an Ender Pearl and teleported to the Phantoms, stabbing the one that had Zoey through with Rythian's SoulScribe which he had picked up. He then tossed it into Kirin's back and he wailed loudly. Rythian kicked his feet up at Kirin's chest, knocking him over. The others had crossed the long dining hall by now and were on the side with the balcony. Rythian hopped up and ran, too.

"Run!" he shouted.

They all dashed across the room as Kirin screamed, "No! They must not get away!" and the Phantoms tried to stop them, but Rythian took the lead and activated an Ender Spell called  _Speeding Bullet_ which surrounded him in a blue light and knocked over the Phantoms in his path. They didn't even open the sliding stained-glass door, they just ran right through it and Rythian shattered it. They all jumped off the balcony as the Phantoms' tendrils just began to touch them. Kirin screamed in anger as they fell through the sky.

"I'm not worried. They'll be back. I  _know_ it." said Kirin, walking towards the stairs to his bedroom. It had been a long night.

* * *

They fell for what seemed like an eternity. Screams filled the air as Rythian struggled to think. He had had a plan for this... 

They flew through the cool night air, the sound of the very wind rushing past their ears.

When he remembered, he shouted, "Okay, things are gonna feel weird in a second here, but it's just so I can save your asses, so no whining."

He focused on all of his friends, and then he focused on the Jaffa Factory. He had almost no energy left for Endermagic, but he  _had_ to have enough, or they would all die. His nose began to bleed and so did his eyes, but Rythian didn't care. He continued focusing on those two things. He heard an odd noise that sounded like a  _vwip!_ and then everything was black.

When they all ended up on the factory floor, panting heavily, Rythian's vision was at first tinted purple, but it got normal after a few minutes. Honeydew was the first to stand up.

"Well," he said. "I suppose you two are in need of some sort of explanation," he said, gesturing at Lomadia and Nilesy and winking at Xephos, who smiled and gave a hearty laugh.

"You know, aside from the almost getting killed by a  _fucking madman_ part, I really fucking enjoyed that," said Honeydew.

Xephos smiled and blushed a little, looking at the floor. Everyone gave a little chuckle.

When the Moon was consulted, it was found that, indeed, Kirin  _had_ put them in a stasis for about 12 hours. It was only about midnight, it seemed, so Kirin's statement about the poison lasting for about 3 and a half hours seemed true.

Rythian and Zoey shuffled into bed. Some did the same, others stayed up and laughed over the evening from their view. Some even attempted to explain to Lomadia and Nilesy everything that had happened.

Rythian was so exhausted he barely spoke to Zoey. He pulled her head in close and smelled her hair, whispering into her ear, "Thank you." The two fell asleep, and, eventually, so did everyone else, but Zoey woke up several times in the night, having accidentally turned on her Ring of Arcana in the night. She told herself that she was so tired, so she could just leave the Ring on, and get it in the morning... If she hadn't been so tired, perhaps she would have realized that she definitely wasn't getting that ring off without a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how I feel about the fight scene in this, I feel like I rushed it. Sorry if I did.  
> So, lots of information about Rythian's past in this one, huh? And the past of other characters, too.  
> Also, this is where the Honeyphos shipping begins. Sorry all. Didn't I say there was more than one YogShip which I am powerless in the face of? Plus it becomes super important later on, so we've gotta start shippin' sometime here.  
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed. As always, leave comments... Well, in the comments. Suggestions, things you liked, things you hated, etc. Thanks again for reading!  
> ~Hey you, with the face! Have a great day!~


	6. Our Summer - Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long, y'all. I'm moving and so everything's been a little crazy. Plus, when I actually got around to this, I was typing it and... I was part-way into it all and then POOF! I accidentally hit Control-R and lost everything. That was a little.. Discouraging. Really, I am sorry.
> 
>  
> 
> **Also, feel I should clarify: In this AU, the Jaffa Factory didn't go into ruin. So after Moon/MarsQuest, the gang return to the Jaffa Factory (JaffaQuest) and it's intact. After deciding it isn't worth the work to update the machinery (My non-immersion-breaking way of saying "Oh no, the modpack updated..."), they decided to live there for a little while, gradually moving resources, chests, and still-functioning machinery into boxes (much like what they did to the Baked Bean F(a/o)rt Base), so that they could liquidate Honeydew, Inc. and start anew with Hole Diggers, Inc. It was during their time of packing things up that this fic takes place.**
> 
>  
> 
> Whoops, my hand shipped.

_**Cold.** _

When Rythian awoke, the first thing he noticed was the icy chill deep in his bones. His head felt like it had been sliced through with an ax. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

_**Storm.** _

Outside, Rythian heard the wind howling, moaning,  _screaming_ \- Trying to break down the walls of the factory or lift its roof off of them. The snow and hail pelted against the factory like and angry beast trying to bust down a door.

Zoey was already awake, standing over by a window which looked like it couldn't stand much more of the icy barrage. She was holding a thermos of coffee in her hand, looking out over the frozen landscape. Tee sat on a chair in the corner of the room, enshrouded by darkness. His long, reptilian face was the only part of him which poked through the curtain of shadows.

"So everyone else is already up?" Asked Rythian.

"No, I made this myself." Zoey replied, shaking the thermos a little. She didn't even turn away from the window. When she talked, her voice sounded  _darker_ than it usually did,  _colder_. Tee didn't move a muscle nor make a sound. Rythian couldn't even hear him breathing.

"I thought you didn't drink coffee..." Rythian said slowly, taken aback by her sudden shift in demeanor.

"I don't."

Rythian tried to suppress his curiosity, but he simply couldn't.

"Then why..." He started to say.

"No one said it was coffee, Rythian." She interrupted. Her voice sounded weak and hoarse.

Rythian opened his mouth and then shut it again a few times before deciding not to press the issue further. He got up from their bed and walked towards Zoey.

"I'm worried about those two boys, Martyn and Toby... I mean, it's obvious that this had something to do with them." She took another sip from what Rythian hoped - but doubted - was chocolate milk.

Rythian held her hand and absentmindedly stroked it.

"Oh, Zoey, it... It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, Rythian. It was. You all wanted them to stay and I let them go and  _now..._ " Her voice cracked at the end and she sniffled a little, trying to regain her composure.

"No, I was the only one who really tried to get them to stay, Zoey, it  _wasn't your fault_."

She sighed shakily, shuddering slightly.

"I can't get it off." She said.

"Can't get what off?"

"At first, I just didn't  _want_ to take it off. And now... I physically  _can't_ get it off. It's so tight around my finger, and when I finally did get it off, I felt like I was going to vomit, so I put it back on immediately."

"Zoey, what are you talking about?" He said, although he already knew the answer.

"What do you  _think_ , Rythian? The Ring." She said, her voice cracking.

"It's... It's okay, Zoey... I'm sure - I'm sure it won't be a problem. We'll... Get it off with some magic or... Or something... Later. For now, just keep your Klein Star charged and it'll treat you nicely. Don'y hesitate to use it in battle, it was our savior when we fought Kirin. I mean, if it's stuck on you, we may as well take advantage of that until we can get it off... I promise, though, we  _will_ get it off."

She just sniffled and nodded her head.

"Would you like me to go get you a glass of water?" He asked gently.

"I - Yes, please... I'd like that very much." She replied softly.

Rythian nodded and went to The Tube, going to the Penthouse Level. On his way up, however, he saw movement on another level. He held still for a few moments and then darted into the area, ducking behind some crates. He moved his head around the side of it, but couldn't hear or see anything. Shuffling back to his position behind the box, he turned his head and found himself face-to-face with Kirin.

"Hello." He said, his voice level and a smirk on his face.

Rythian nearly jumped out of his skin, barely holding in a gasp. Kirin laughed a hearty laugh and stared at Rythian again.

"What're _you_ doing here?" Rythian demanded.

"Oh, you know, I was just..  _In the neighborhood_ , ah ha ha. Figured we'd...  _Talk._ "

"Why are you... Like... Translucent?"

"Because this isn't really me. It's a sort of...  _Reflection_ , you know? A fraction of me which I split off from the rest, to send you a message and then return to me and...  _Collect_ with the rest of me once again. Sort of a way I can have multiple... Kirins, ah ha ha, floating around at once, all doing odd jobs for me. At the expense of some of my strength, of course."

 _Great, now I've got to deal with more than one of them_ , thought Rythian.

"Right, right,  _whatever_. Just..." Rythian sighed. "What's the message?"

"More of a conversation, actually."

"Well... Go ahead,  _converse_."

"Ah ha ha! You're a real  _treat_ , Rythian, just like back at the Guild."

A million memories bubbled up in Rythian's mind.  _Touch, hot breath in his ear, a tongue explor_ \- Rythian shook a little as he forced himself out of his memories, which were starting to seem a little less suppressed every day.

"Now," Said Kirin. "I'd like to ask you: Do you know why I arranged things so that, if you escaped my clutches, Lomadia and Nilesy would be with you?"

"No." Said Rythian through gritted teeth.

"Because I used some demonic divination runes, that kind of thing, and eh heh... I found that all of you in this factory right now  _had_ to be present to end the tyranny of Parvis. Figured I may as well take the opportunity to unite you all then. If you lost, then you'd be following my command. If you won, you'd kill him yourself. Win-win situation. Oh, and by the way... The ice-boy. Things didn't go so well, I take it.. Judging by this..." Here he paused and looked out a window. "... _Change_... In climate. You might want to go check on him. I found his base as a little... Side-project. I thought it might... Improve our trust, mm? Here's a map." He said, handing Rythian a piece of paper he seemed to produce from the air.

It must have been enchanted in some way, because it showed everyone in the factory, and Rythian could see them moving.  _They must be starting to get up_ , thought Rythian. Toby and Martyn's base was marked on the map. It was just slightly West of the Jaffa Factory. It wasn't that far past the Sips Co. Compound. Rythian pocketed the map and then looked back up at Kirin.

"Thank you, Kirin... That'll be all." Rythian said, nonchalant.

"Ub-I-I thought... Wouldn't you like to know more about the reflections? The-They're called Shades, Rythian, Shades, and uhm... See, they each carry-"

"Thank you, Kirin. That'll be all." Rythian interupted.

"Ah ha," Kirin laughed nervously. "They each carry a copy of my personality and memories, so they aren't just mindless servants, they really are like a copy of me, you see, ah ha, and-"

Rythian sighed and interupted him once again. "Goodbye, Kirin." He said, his voice flat and uninterested.

He focused on the space behind Kirin, and a small bluish-midnight purple rift appeared which would take Kirin to the End. It grew until it was slightly larger than him, and then Rythian pushed magic into his hands and picked the shocked Shade of Kirin up by his shoulder with one hand, holding him above the ground. With his other hand, he drove his SoulScribe into his abdomen. Shades are so diluted in terms of power that it left the Shade weak enough to be swallowed up by the rift. Rythian pulled the sword out and let go, but Kirin stayed levitating a few feet above the factory floor, the rift gradually pulling him in. Before Kirin -  _No, the_ shade  _of Kirin_ , thought Rythian - actually realized what was happening, he was already mostly into the rift. His expression hardened and he looked at Rythian with eyes full of venom.

"Goodbye, Kirin." Rythian repeated.

His form disappeared completely into the rift, and then Rythian focused his magic once again to close it. It closed with a  _whoosh_ sound, and some wind blew through Rythian's hair.

"Well... He's badly wounded and stuck in the End. Don't see him getting out any time soon." Rythian said to himself.

He finally made it up to the Penthouse Level to get some cold water from Honeydew's refrigerator. Honeydew was stretching and yawning over by his bed, and Rythian guessed that he had just gotten up.

"Hello. Gettin' some water?" He asked Rythian.

"Yeah, it's... For Zoey." He replied.

Honeydew nodded and continued, "So... Something's happened, hasn't it...? Probably to do with that boy who was goin' all icy the other night."

"Uh... Yeah, probably." There was a great deal of commotion downstairs. "I suppose everyone is starting to get up. We'll go down and then talk about this, sound good?"

"Uh... Yeah, sounds good." Replied Honeydew, a little unsure.

They both flashed a small smile and Rythian flew back down The Tube until he reached the Lab Level. He handed Zoey the water, who thanked him and then suggested they all go down to talk with the others. Tee followed behind, still a mute green dinosaur with incredible sniping skills. Rythian smiled to himself at the thought.

 

* * *

 

 

"So," said Xephos, his finger landing on the map on the table. "Where did you say you got this again?"

Rythian cleared his throat uncomfortably. Lying had never been something he liked. "I... Uh, made it. Y'know, raided a dimension for some artifacts, used them to create a -"

"Erm, Rythian, eh, if you don't mind..." Said Xephos.

"Oh! Yes! Sorry, sorry, yes. There are more important things." Said Rythian.

"Eh, yes, thank you. So... This tracks all of us in real-time?" He asked.

"Precisely." Replied Rythian.

"Annnnd... The Jaffa Factory, the Sips Co. Compound - "

"Sjips Co.!" Interrupted Sjin.

"- Martyn and Toby's base, annnnd... The portal to YogLabs."

"Yes." Replied Rythian.

"Right, so... I guess... Let's go stop Winter." Said Xephos, a smile of new-found confidence on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

As it turned out, stopping Winter wouldn't actually be that easy. All through the journey, the wind and snow bombarded them and threatened to push them over - but they kept walking West. Rythian had given them all magical enhancements, whether through Endermagic or other means, to help lessen the force of it all. Still, though, when the conditions got especially rough, it was hard to walk through the blizzard. Sometimes it even started hailing. The cold also made things challenging. Everyone was shivering and shaking where they stood, despite the fact that they were all wearing many layers of clothing.

As they got closer to Martyn and Toby's base, it all got even worse. The one good thing of it all is that there weren't any zombies or other disagreeable creatures. If there were, they certainly kept to themselves, presumably hidden away in the caves, twiddling their thumbs - if they had them - while waiting for the storm to blow over.

When they were just a little ways away from the base, according to the map, Sjin pointed at the sky.

"Look!" He called out. "Look how black that cloud is! I bet it's right over their base!"

Everyone agreed and they set off towards it. When they got there, they saw it was just a few tents in the middle of a forest. There was no one in any of them, so they checked the wooden toilet stalls. They found that both were actually secret - although not all that secret - entrances to an underground factory.

They descended the stairs in silence, the chill growing stronger with each step.

"Who-Who's there?" Called Toby's voice.

"It's us." Said Rythian... Nothing more had to be said.

When they reached the bottom, there was no one in sight. They searched until they found a space of the wall made of a different type of wood, as if hurriedly constructed. They broke it down and entered, finding a small living space.

Toby gasped at the sight off them. He was standing by a couch which Martyn was sitting on, shivering and covered in blankets. Martyn looked over at them a second later, shock registering on his face. He gasped, too, and it made a few tiny, needle-sized icicles shoot out from him.

"He's slipping..." Said Rythian, trailing off. "He's slipping, and soon he's going to  _fall_." He walked towards Toby. "Hello. We meet again. Listen, don't be scared, we're here to  _help_ you."

"S-Stay away from M-Martyn" Stuttered Toby, backing away slightly.

"We're here to help, really. Martyn, just keep fighting her off, and I'll use some magic and Lalna will use his...  _Science things_... And it'll help him fight it all much easier."

Rythian's hand began to glow and he took a few large, determined steps towards Martyn.

"G-Get your hands o-off of him!"

"Relax. We're just going to help him fight it."

"No! Martyn, don't listen to them! Let  _go_ , Martyn!  _Let go_!"

Martyn seemed to relax a little, and then the air seemed to get even colder, a few more icicles shooting from the huddled mass of blankets.

"What?" Demanded Rythian. "No, Martyn, with our help you can fight it! Why would you tell him to give in, Toby? If he does, he'll.. He'll kill you! He'll kill all of us and, when she's done with him, Winter will kill him!"

"N-No she won't! She would value him to much, and... Yeah. He'll... He'll kill us all, but at least  _he_ won't die. Come on, Martyn. No matter what you do, I'll forgive you. And you'll live!"

"No, Toby, that's not - "

It was too late, however. Toby took out a small golden charm from his pocket.

"I've been working on this for a while now. You  _will not_ touch my - my Martyn."

He pressed some sort of of button on it, and a light enveloped him. He grabbed Martyn's arm and the light spread to him. Before Rythian could do anything, the two had vanished. In their wake, however, they left a small portal.

"Temporary portal... These are left behind when someone uses a rather...  _Sloppy_ method of dimensional travel. They've ripped a hole into the fabric of reality, and they did it with a crude method, so it kind of... Stays open for a while after they have departed." Explained Rythian. "Come on, let's follow them, before it closes." 

The others agreed and they all began to go through. Soon it was just Rythian, Zoey, and Tee left. Tee nodded to the other two, silent as ever, and went in.

"I'm... A little scared, to be honest." Said Zoey.

"Oh, Zoey, it'll be fine. The thing they used to teleport wasn't  _that_... Eh em,  _archaic_. I've traveled through portals left by much worse. It'll be fine, I  _promise_."

She nodded, still a little unsure, and grabbed his wrist, dragging him through the portal.

 

* * *

 

 There were a few horrifying seconds in which a thousand dark tendrils grabbed at Rythian, voices whispering in his ears, and he was falling, helplessly falling, and there was nothing he could do, and then - 

Rythian nearly fell onto the ground, nearly catching himself on one knee. Panting hard, he looked around. It was dark as midnight. Zoey was still holding his hand, asking if he was okay, but he didn't hear much of it. He shook his head, as if trying to shake out water from his hair, and got up. Inter-dimensional travel was never really his thing. It required him going through the Void, and for a... Someone like him, that was a rather disagreeable experience.

It was dark, cold, and snowing a little, but there was no more hail.

"It's..." Xephos began. "The world where we began J.A.F.F.A.... Hmm...."

"What?" Asked Lomadia.

"It's... Honeydew Inc.'s Space Program..." Xephos explained. "Well, it's independent now, so it can be absorbed into Hole Diggers Inc, our new company... I wonder how that'll line up with the YogLabs deal, Honeydew, how much money was -"

"Xeph." Interrupted Honeydew. "Um, later please?"

Xephos went as red as a cherry and ran a hand through his hair, clearing his throat nervously.

"Eh em, sorry, umm... Yes. So. Um. Yeah. We wanted more resources that weren't in the world where Honeydew Inc. was, so we just made a portal, like the one to YogLabs, but to another world. We're done here now, though. I don't know why he would have made a teleporter to this world..."

"He didn't." Said Rythian. "He probably just made one to any old world - It was just random. Him ending up here is just... Luck."

"Right, well... Where is he now?" Asked Nilesy.

"I... I don't know." Said Rythian. "He's gone somewh - Look! Up on that hill! He's moving fast... He's definitely got a plan. Come on, let's go."

They ran North in silence.

"Toby must have some kind of special artifact that allows him to move much faster and carry Martyn much easier, look how fast he's going. He's carrying Martyn so  _easily_..." Said Rythian.

They began to loose sight of Toby and Martyn, and if it weren't for the trail of ice and snow they left on the ground, they would have lost them.

After many more minutes in silence, they came to another hill and found Toby and Martyn on top of it. There were a few empty buckets on the ground, and there was a little pool of water in the ground. Toby was rubbing the soil smooth around the final of a circle of flowers surrounding the pool. He produced a diamond from his pocket and threw it into the pool, and lightning struck in the pool. There was a horrible sound as the water turned to a blue, swirly substance, like a Nether portal, but blue rather than purple. The skies opened up and the hail began again. Martyn was loosing control, fast.

"No!" Shouted Rythian.

They ran towards the pair, but Toby shouted, "Martyn, now!" and Martyn held his hand out, palm to the others, and a wall of ice sprouted from the ground, blocking them in. It soon spread around the sides, turning it into a fortress that completely encircled Martyn and Toby.

"Zoey, the Ring!" Rythian shouted.

Zoey held her hand up and pointed her index finger, where the Ring of Arcana was, and fire bloomed from the tip.

"It's, like,  _different ice_ , or something, Ryth! It isn't melting." She yelled.

"I didn't want to have to do this but - Huh!" Rythian shouted, stepping forward, his hands crossed to make a small triangle between his thumbs and fingers. Lightning crackled in the space and shot out, spreading all through the ice, shattering it into pieces.

They ran forward, but Martyn was already gone. Toby took one look at them and then he was gone, swallowed up by the portal which he had just jumped into.

"No!" Rythian exclaimed. "He's gone into the Twilight Forest of this world... That's why he didn't care where the teleporter put him... He was planning to set that up, anyways... It was just to buy time."

"Why the Twilight Forest?" Asked Lalna.

"I don't know... I would guess he'll try to find some of those ruins with the Naga, or one of the big Ghasts' castles, or one of the Lichs' castles, that's already been cleared out by someone."

"Hmm..." Said Honeydew. "We best get moving then."

Lalna nodded, and he lead the way, and each one of them jumped into the portal, one by one... And it was here, two portals (and the many miles between those portals) away from home, that everything went wrong.

 

* * *

 

 

It was  ** _cold._**

It was colder than the world of the J.A.F.F.A. Space Program, and it was colder than the world they called home... And it was a  _lot_ colder.

Fortunately, the hail had stopped and gentle snow had replaced it.

As Rythian tumbled out of the Void, he heard a scream. His head whipped around and he saw that Sjin has teleported into a tree - His foot was stuck under a large root, and a few feral dogs were circling him, snarling and baring their teeth.

He was on his feet quick, but the nausea of traveling through the Void hit him like a brick wall. He fought through it and ran to Sjin, swiping at the dogs. After a few crosses of his blade through the air, the dogs whimpered and ran off. Rythian turned to Sjin and summoned a phantom ax with an Endermagic spell, chopping the root off.

"Th-Thanks, Ryth-Rythian..." Sjin murmured.

"Don't mention it." Rythian replied.

He looked around. There were trees absolutely everywhere, as far as the eye could see. The sky was a lovely dark blue, and there were many more stars visible than in the normal world. In the distance was a small pool which reflected two deer, stopping for a drink. A raven flew past Rythian. Snow feel softly from the sky. Despite the situation, he couldn't help but admit that it was one of the most beautiful places he'd ever been.

Sips, who had insisted that he not wear anything extra because "Anyone who gets cold and needs all that extra stuff is a big, dumb babby," according to him, was shivering madly, his breath coming out short.

There was, yet again, a trail of ice on the ground, and they all knew where it led. Looking farther ahead of it, Rythian saw a Lich castle.

"Look.  _That's_ where they're headed." He said, pointing first at the trail and then at then castle.

Before anyone could say anything, there was a great cracking sound, and then a horrible moan and groan, as what sounded like thousands of leaves rustled. Rythian looked up just in time to see a tree that was once straight was no longer such - It was diagonal, and it was getting  _more_ diagonal, and it was headed  _towards_ them, and - 

"Move!" Shouted Xephos, jarring Rythian from his thoughts.

He grabbed Zoey's arm and darted to the side, dashing as fast as he could, practically leaping with each step.

Everyone lay on different sides of the now-fallen tree. They were all panting with the shock of it all.

"Well... That was..." Honeydew began.

"Interesting." Xephos finished for him.

Honeydew smiled at him and Xephos's reaction, the way he sputtered, and ran his hand through his hair, eyes darting around... Rythian smiled at how cute they were and how  _desperately_ Xephos tried to make something  _everybody_ already knew about stay secret.

"All the trees... The entire forest is freezing. The wood is getting so cold and hard that it's cracking. And... Considering that pretty much this  _entire world_ is covered in trees, a bunch of trees being prone to suddenly falling isn't good _at all_. We..." Rythian paused to sigh. "We best get moving." He finished, pointing at the castle and then at the path.

"Alright, let's get a move on, fellas!" Sang Honeydew, his voice hearty and cheery.

As the group of oddballs set off, Honeydew broke out into what he claimed was the dwarven work song,- Which was, in fact, just "Hi Ho," and everyone else joined in, and Xephos smiled to himself, once again looking like a nervous wreck near Honeydew. Rythian smiled at it all, and off to work he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp! Sorry for the Honeyphos. I swear, it becomes extremely important later, so it has to be established early on.
> 
> We are very close to the end of this, and I'm struggling to pace it all... I feel as if I may have slightly rushed this chapter, and if I did, I'm very sorry.
> 
> I ain't perfect - But I can be better if y'all tell me what I've done right and what I've done wrong! So please, do that!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading.
> 
>  
> 
> ~Hey you, with the face! Have a great day!~


End file.
